Crimson Flute
by terra hotaru
Summary: In the midst of war, he never stopped smiling. He danced, used as a medium for souls. The melodies of his flute soothed away others’ worries. Yet, he had to carry the burden of his own worries... AkuRoku. Yaoi. Fantasy.
1. The Priest

He told him everything yet nothing at all. In the midst of war, he danced, used as a medium for souls. His melodies soothed away others' worries. Yet, he had to carry the burden of his own worries while pretending that he had no doubts at all... AkuRoku

Thank God to **Meilynn64 **for the title or I'll be spending my night thinking about the title. –orz- And yes, finally an update in a while. And I thank **Lollipops and Roxas OH MY **for her lovely message which eventually got me to decide to update.

And this fic is a promise for **Tsuky-sama **on dA which I should have written out a while ago.

Enjoy!

**Crimson Flute**

**Chapter 1**

**The Priest**

The blood, the battle, deaths, pleads for help, greed, hatred, love, lust… everything was so common… too common that it turned sickening. Everywhere he went, it was the same. He wore heavy chain armors for protection. He carried a heavy sword. He travelled as a soldier. He was a general…but how different was it when he was travelling with his soldiers from town to town? Rampaging the enemies' villages, burning down their properties, killing adults and children.

Why would he commit such cruelty?

It was his duty and obligation.

He had sworn himself to his country and thus, he was responsible to tear down his country's enemies. His face depicts no emotion—even when blood was spilled all over the place, when he ordered his soldiers to bring down everything and everyone, elderly, parents, children…

"_Why are you doing this?!"_

"_You beast!"_

"_You will suffer in hell!" _

If only he could experience hell… then maybe he could _feel _again.

Trudging through the remains of the village, he looked up to the bleak sky. "It's going to rain, soldiers. Better start moving fast," he commanded with a cold tone.

The smell of smoke assaulted his senses. The scent of blood made him dizzy. The screams and pleads for mercy haunted him. However, he had gotten used to it. He was already numbed to the emotion.

"Yeah… it's going to rain soon…" he sighed. His footsteps rang in the hollow of the air. His iron boots against the dirt a village used to stand on.

The dead bodies were already incinerated to ashes, carried away by the wind, and would soon be drenched away by the purity of rain water. "Let's move!"

--

He ignored his troops' complains about the endless trips they made without rest. He continued to walk to the next village, knowing that his soldiers had already fallen behind. He pulled his sword out of its sheath and took off a soldier's head in a single motion. The man's head went tumbling down the grassy field, staining the greens with blood-soaked red. The rest of the troops released gasps and screams of terror.

"Scram!" he roared.

The resting birds flew away from their branches, intimidated by the loud yell.

The soldiers were stunned, unable to move, only watching their general with horror. Then, he slashed his blade to the air, as if he was about to take down another one of his soldiers.

"Or I'll take down every single one of you," he hissed.

And the soldiers ran, screaming and crying for help.

"Babies…" he huffed and spat on the grass, putting his blade back to its sheath. He didn't need those sickening excuse of foot soldiers. They were obstacles to him.

The next village was only within a mile away, located deep within the forest, near the waterfalls. What a peaceful place… such a pity that he had to pillage and burn down the village…

All he needed to do was throw away his armors and weapons and he should be able to fit in.

--

He walked into the village's entrance, looking around. There was not a single guard, no protection whatsoever. Unlike usual, he didn't immediately wield his sword and started cutting heads off. That was his soldiers' job, to immediately barge into a village and start delivering hostilities and hatred. He always wanted to observe before taking lives away. However, he had no chance to do what he wanted because of his underlings' foolery. And now, even if he preferred it, he couldn't slay the villages, simply because of the fact that he had thrown away his weapon, leaving him extremely vulnerable with his usual attire that made him looked like a normal villager more than anything.

He looked left and right, admiring the simplicity and the beauty of the village. What was the village's name? he tried to recall…Sol Divina… ah yes. It was called Sol Divina, a village occupied by the Tribe of the Mountain—those odd people that had a strong affinity with the range of mountains and the water closed by. He always gathered information about the villages he was ordered to pillage. Why? He didn't know… probably just to waste his time. On second thought, it didn't even waste his time, since his shadow assassin was the one doing all his biddings.

It was a lively village. Some women were washing clothes by the lake, chattering and gossiping cheerily. Children were running around barefooted on the soft soil. Adult males were standing in groups, talking and laughing out loud at each other's jokes, each equipped with light weaponry—dull blades and axes from what he could observe. They wore clothes made of animal furs, no doubt from the animals they hunted down. Some of the villagers were black skinned, some were white skinned, some pale brown.

Some even had weirdly shaped ears—as if they were elves.

He watched with much interest. Sol Divina, such an interesting village.

"There's somebody at the gate…"

And all the villagers stopped their activities as if they were paused in time to stare at that one stranger that had intruded the village. He was relieved that he sensed no hostility. Not carrying a weapon made him feel very vulnerable.

"Welcome!" the male adults of the village welcomed him with broad smiles and grins.

He raised his eyebrows, confused.

"A traveler, aren't you?" A big man approached him, patting him at the back roughly. He choked and when he looked up, he was faced with huge, shiny giant teeth—what an enormous grin… under those roughly grown moustache.

He merely nodded, not saying anything, wary about the villagers.

"The southern village has been destroyed!!!" a sudden yell echoed throughout the village.

"What?!" The big man growled. "That fast?!"

"If they are attacked, that means…"

"We will be…"

"What happened to the villagers?"

"More importantly, what will happen to us?"

The distress grew.

"Everybody calm down! The priest will protect us all!" the big man roared, slamming his huge axe down to the soil, making a huge tremor.

He watched calmly, surprised, but never showing it. The other villagers went silent.

"The enemies won't come here," he opened his mouth, speaking calmly.

The big man turned to him, watching him with surprise. "Why do you say that, young man? Are you a survivor from that village?"

Ah, what an interesting turn of event… he nodded. "Yes, I am. I barely made it out without them noticing me. I saw them going the other direction… not towards this village…"

"Well, you certainly look surprisingly calm for a survivor of a devastating attack," a shorter man with lean body and shoulder length silver hair showed up, staring him up and down.

He stared back. "I guess I'm just raised that way," he raised his eyebrows, shrugging, challenging the other's man stare with a smirk.

"I will go ahead and inform the Elder," and the big man walked away, carrying an axe as equally big as him.

The silver head man gave a suspicious stare and walked away along the big man. He stared back at everyone who stared at him and he walked into the village, uninvited. Upon taking the first two steps into the village of Sol Divina, he heard a very bizarre, yet soothing melody carried by the air. It was the melody of a flute. He was sure of it.

He looked around, trying to find the source of the melody. He knew that it came from northeast; however he decided to be ignorant and merely stay where he was, not having the desire to venture deeper into the village. The villagers showed obvious distrust towards him and would possibly show hostility at any time presented, all because of the words of that silver head man. Not that he cared. However, he was somehow intrigued by the village and he didn't want it to go down in flames… not just yet.

--

The night came within a moment's notice. The sun sank behind the hills, disappearing from the sky, bringing in the dark. It was a bleak, starless night. He was surprised to overhear some of the villagers talking about how the sky was starless because of the deaths of so many people in the southern village. Such superstitious belief…

He walked through the wet soil. The pouring rain ceased earlier, leaving the soil wet and soggy. He hated the sounds of his iron boots against the muddy earth. It made him feel uneasy. He had been given a shelter by the big man, who later introduced himself as Lexaeus, the single old man in the village, from what he had learnt. However, the villagers had a certain grim looks on their faces every time the "single"-ness of Lexaeus was mentioned. He wondered if it was because of the typical losing his family in the war and fight business. He wouldn't be surprised if it was. It was pretty common, not that he had the ability to read minds or predict anything.

"Hey, boy," called Lexaeus. "Come join us!" he said, holding up a big jar of sake in his right hand while his axe was resting on the ground. The men of the village were having a sit out at night, gathering around the big fire bon. He raised his eyebrows and walked over to the big man to then notice the same silver head man from earlier sitting next to the big man.

He casted the silveret a short glance.

"I'm going to head back to my room," he said flatly.

"Boy, this is men's night. You'd better gather around with us."

"No, I'll be leaving early in the morning tomorrow. I respect and am grateful for your hospitality," he gave a curt bow.

"What are you talking about? What was your name again? Axel?"

He nodded, spiky red hair bobbing up and down with his nod.

"Where are you going to go?" a blond asked, tilting his head to the side.

Axel turned to the blond sitting at the other side of the circle.

"I'm Demyx," he smiled, grinning hyperly and friendlily.

"Axel," he said, introducing himself.

"Well, Axel. I think you should stay here with us and make yourself home."

He smirked inside. However, he already knew how it worked. Decline and you would be forced to stay over. "No, I would be too much of a trouble. He is right," he pointed to the silveret. "You all have every reason to be suspicious of me. After all, I might be a spy, conspiring with the enemy to take you all down."

"Riku," the silveret said shortly, drinking his sake.

"Right," he raised his eyebrows. "Nice to meet you."

Riku scoffed, looking at the blazing fire.

"I don't see why the enemy would send a spy after all this time of blatantly destroying and pillaging villages after villages," Demyx voiced his question.

"You never know," Riku glared at the blond.

"Look, I don't want to spark quarrels amongst you. I will leave early tomorrow morning," he commented.

"No, Axel. Stay," Lexaeus stood up from where he was, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The other men gathered there didn't voice their opinions. They were merely staring at him.

"Ansem the Wise had given him the permission to stay in here. Make yourself at home, Axel," the big man gave a friendly smile.

He didn't say anything. He looked over to the silveret who stay silent, drinking sake. He didn't expect Riku to comply so easily. He had expected him to be more stubborn and uncooperative.

Before the conversation could continue, the same soothing melody from earlier rang through the air once again. "Ah, the Priest's tune…" Demyx whispered, smiling, closing his eyes and enjoying the melody.

Axel couldn't help but felt attracted to the melody. The sadness and sweetness and also the tranquility contained deep inside the melody…

Though… the word Priest reminded him of someone old and crippled. He wouldn't be surprised. Must be someone very old and experienced to be able to produce that kind of melody.

--

Morning marked his first day in Sol Divina. He woke up to find out that the rest of the village was still sleeping. He wore the slippers Lexaeus had provided him the night before, telling him that his iron boots were inconvenient to walk in and that the villagers weren't used to the noise.

He walked out of his tent, looking the blue sky that had grown dull to him as time passed by.

"Up so early?" A soft boyish voice coursed through and he turned to the source of the voice. The boy was leaning against a persimmon tree nearby, arms crossed, cerulean eyes staring wide at him.

"Yeah," he nodded curtly in response. "You too."

"Oh, I can't sleep."

He smirked. "And I thought a boy like you would be snoring all day in bed."

"Now, isn't that a typical stereotype that you adults love to make?" the boy grinned childishly, his innocence and pure complexion showed through his smile.

"Oh? I am surprised. For once, I am actually proven wrong."

"Oh, you'd be surprised to know that I am older than thirteen, mister."

He raised his eyebrows. He was actually thinking of that.

"Oh, I know what's going through your mind. Just as you adults stereotype, I also do the same. So, I suppose you are the newcomer?" the boy smiled, holding out his hand.

"Yes, I am," he took the boy's hand and shook it. The boy had a certain charm he couldn't explain.

After the little exchange, the boy walked circling around him, examining him up and down. "You sure don't look very much like a refugee to me. But that's just Riku's suspicions."

"What? You're not gonna give me your name?" he grinned.

"Adults with manners usually give their names first."

"Axel. I am, as you have so smartly stated, an adult with manners."

"Roxas. And please do remember to call me Roxas."

"Got it memorized."

Roxas chuckled. "Very well. I shall take my leave, Axel. Don't be a stranger."

"I'll try not to."

This game of pretending wasn't so bad after all…

--

He knew that somebody was following him as he checked around the village, but he wasn't smart enough to know who. Though he could guess that it was probably Riku. The whole village was still suspicious of him. He didn't worry about it. He knew that all he needed to do was to do something that would make them fully trust him.

There was a commotion in the afternoon. Lexaeus told him that some kind of ceremony was going to occur from the waterfall at Sol Divina. He was interested, so he attended—something about the priest giving his prayers to the dead. He didn't know why he was interested in a ceremony where an old man would be mumbling and chanting prayers. However, since he was the one responsible for the deaths, he might as well participate and give those dead people some of his prayers. It wouldn't be too bad.

The whole village was gathered near the waterfall, watching from the sides, standing by the rocks. He didn't see any elderly with robes, so he assumed that the priest was not yet there. However, he did see the same boy from earlier in the morning in blue robe, standing with half of his legs submerged in the water and his robe floating, wet and drenched.

"Feeling the water?" Axel decided to approach the boy.

"Oh hi new guy," Roxas smiled nervously. "Yeah, I am."

"Weird. You would typically wear shorts if you are feeling the water, not robes."

"Oh yeah, I am definitely weird."

And then, Axel noticed that everyone was looking at them. He wondered why. He shrugged the curious glances away. "And you're the one who told me not to be a stranger."

Roxas laughed softly. "Haha, right?"

"So, what's happening here?" Axel asked, looking around. The scenery was definitely beautiful. So tranquil, so different from all the war and killing he had gone through. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay in Sol Divina.

"Here's a trivia for you. Know why this village is called Sol Divina?"

Axel raised his eyebrows. He was silent for a minute before he shook his head. "Well, you're the smart one. Tell me."

"The Divine Blessing of the Water. That is what Sol Divina means. And as you can see, we have a waterfall here," Roxas pointed out the obvious, chuckling.

"That's it? And here I thought that there is going to be a huge revelation."

"You know, it's really weird for you to not know about this. Almost everyone around knows how to answer that question. So, the next time somebody asks, you know how to answer, alright?"

Axel didn't say anything.

"You're not from around here. And you're not a refugee, Axel. You can't hide that from me," Roxas gave a knowing smile, whispering his words softly, careful not to be overheard by the other villagers.

There was an awkward silence between them.

"So, as I was saying, I think it's a pretty dumb name… but pretty nonetheless," Roxas nodded, smiling.

"The water can't bless anything."

"Well said. When the enemy soldiers attack, I doubt the water would be able to do anything about it. But we'll see."

And there it was again, the knowing smile.

"Well, I shall take my leave on you once again. Preparation. The ceremony should start soon. I hope you enjoyed. People take it as entertainment, but you can take it however you want. I'll see you around, Axel."

And Roxas stepped out of the water, running away barefooted into the forest.

--

"An entertainment, huh?" Axel whispered, leaning against a tree, watching the waterfall from afar. Everyone, including him, was anticipating the ceremony. He wondered why a ceremony to give prayers to the dead would be an entertainment. He supposed he just had to wait it out and find his answer.

There was gasps a while later. A boy in flowery blue robe stepped out from the small cavern behind the site and into the waterfall, walking, and then stood on the rock that was sitting in the middle of the waterfall. It was the same boy Axel knew. Roxas.

The boy was holding a long flute, eyes closed, standing calmly, facing everyone.

"So, he's the priest…" Axel whispered, surprised.

"Hey, Axel!" Demyx called, walking over to him, waving and smiling. He then took a spot beside Axel.

Axel turned to the Mohawk blond boy. "You are…"

"Demyx. I told you my name."

Axel grinned. "I tend to forget the names of unimportant people."

Demyx pouted. "You definitely sound a lot like Riku," he threw a sandal at his direction.

Axel was hit. He rubbed his head. "Right, sorry about that," he laughed.

"Well, except that Riku has no fun side and you do."

"I take that as a compliment."

Demyx nodded.

Roxas took a step forward with his right leg; he raised his flute to his lips and began blowing gently into it, producing a soft, entrancing melody. Bubbles of water began rising up to the air, floating beautifully in the void and then burst as the tune grew stronger.

Axel watched with wide eyes, entranced by the performance and so were the other villagers.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Demyx smiled, never turning his eyes away from the Priest.

"Wow…" Axel commented breathlessly.

And Roxas opened his eyes, staring straight with a determined expression. He danced, using the flute to dip and swish the water, making beautiful little ripples. The water then gathered together to hoist him up to the air and encaged him within a cage made of the pure liquid.

"Is this part of the ceremony?" Axel blinked several times, still trying to register in what was happening. He had never seen such magic before.

"Yeah…"

Inside the cage of water, Roxas blew his flute again, this time a quiet and sad melody, grim, but at the same time sweet. And the water's ripples grew wild. Water began swishing here and there, splashing furiously as if enraged.

The Priest's eyes were closed.

Then, Axel could hear moans and shrieks coming out of nowhere. He looked around to find little orbs of light floating about, heading to one direction—to Roxas' direction. The orbs of light molded together with the water, circling around Roxas.

"What are those?"

"Those are souls… The souls of the dead, trapped in the world. The dead gathered around the Priest, using him as a medium to travel to another world."

"As a medium…"

"Yeah. Else, they can't rest in peace."

The tune stopped and Roxas used his flute to draw a six pointed star in the water which then took shape as light came out of the traces he made. The six pointed shaped star burst into more of the little orbs of light and then, suddenly, it all calmed down. No more moaning, no more shrieking. And the water submerged, bringing Roxas down to the ground gently.

The orbs of light disappeared into the sky—far away.

The Priest panted, taking in labored breaths, face red with exhaustion.

Everyone clapped, voicing their excitement and amazement.

"Is he gonna be alright?"

Demyx merely nodded, looking away with sadness. "Well, Ax. I'll catch ya around. See ya!" and Demyx ran away.

Axel still had to get used to people running away from him.

The Dance might be beautiful…however, he couldn't help but feel the hopelessness and the sadness the dance represented. It might just be his imagination. However, the exhaustion and sadness apparent in those pair of cerulean eyes were no lie.

So, Roxas had to do the dance every time people died?

Axel watched for a while longer before frowning. Wasn't anybody going to help the priest? The crowds were dispersing, leaving the area. And there he thought the priest was a very wonderful and well respected person. They were just going to leave him there? What a joke.

He walked over to the boy without a single doubt. "Are you ok?" he muttered with slight worry in his voice. He knew Roxas was going to be alright. From how everyone was taking it, this was not the first time Roxas performed the dance.

Roxas looked up, still panting, a soft smile on his face. "I'm going to be alright. Just leave me here and I'll recuperate fairly quickly. There is no need for concern."

"You look pretty exhausted and everyone's leaving you alone."

"It happens," Roxas shrugged, smiling weakly, taking in deep breaths.

Axel sat down near the exhausted Priest. "Well, I'm just going to sit here and enjoy the scenery while you recuperate."

"Stubborn, aren't you?"

"Well, the scenery is fairly nice here. That's all I have to say. Other than that, watching you going all exhausted from that dance is pretty amusing. Shouldn't a boy be healthy and full of energy?"

"You old people are always assuming things," Roxas laughed, breaths calming down. He sat down from his kneeling position, putting his legs into the water.

"That was a really nice job. I might not say that it's an entertainment, but I do enjoy watching it," Axel commented briefly. "Other than that, I'd rather you not do it again if it caused you to be this exhausted," he spoke without looking at the Priest.

A tear rolled down Roxas' eyes, unnoticeable by the redhead. "Trust me. I'd rather not do it if I have the choice."

Axel merely nodded, looking at the water below his feet. He had a lot of questions in his mind, but none that he was able to voice out.

--

A final word, I already have 20k words written out for this fic. That means I already have 5 chapters written out if I divide it into 4k words chapter. So, yeah, I'm on to a good start. Tell me what you think, if you will. (: Thanks a lot, all of you who are still reading what I write.

Love.


	2. Village Attack

Hi, everyone. Happy Sunday?

Hope you enjoy!

**Crimson Flute**

**Chapter 2**

**Village Attack**

Axel watched the boy slept. And then, those eyes slowly fluttered open. "Rise and shiny, little boy," he grinned.

"Ah, I have fallen asleep," Roxas said, sitting up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "And it seems Daddy is taking care of me the whole time." He grinned.

Axel laughed. He paused then, realizing how long it had been since he last laughed.

"Thinking about how long you haven't laughed?" Roxas commented.

"You read minds?"

"Maybe I do," the boy smiled knowingly.

"Maybe you don't."

Roxas laughed and yawned some more before jumping up, standing, realizing that it was already dark. He held his flute close. "I'm all energized! I didn't realize I fell asleep in here. Let's head back."

"You're lucky I'm here. Several wolves were about to attack you while you were asleep, Priest."

"I told you to remember to call me Roxas. You've forgotten? And I appreciate you protecting me," he smiled, bowing down appreciatively. "One question though, are those wolves hostile?"

Axel thought for a moment before answering. "I… believe so?"

"Not all wolves are hostile, Ax," Roxas laughed before stepping into and out of the water to the dry land. "Let's head back. The forest becomes more and more dangerous as it gets darker."

"Shouldn't…"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Roxas laughed before walking away, followed by the redhead.

"Right."

--

The Crimson General arrived to one conclusion after that night. The Priest was able to fight and that flute of his _hurt_. He wondered silently what the flute was made of, but shrugged his curiosity off a while later. They made it safely out of the woods and the Priest did protect him from wild animals. He was merely standing at the side the whole time while Roxas did the whole fighting, using his flute to play some really energetic and cheerful tunes. He found it amusing.

"You taught this old man something," Axel said out loud as they were walking into the gate to Sol Divina.

"See who finally admits it."

"Yeah yeah."

"And what did I teach you?"

"You sure can do some funky magic."

Roxas laughed out loud. "Funky magic… Well, I'll take that as a compliment. And I say that you're doing a good job standing at the side and letting me fight alone."

"Well, I remember _somebody _saying that I will be protected. I am merely but a civilian who doesn't know the art of fighting."

"Yeah. I'll take you up on that one, oh weakling civilian." The Priest stretched and yawned.

"Getting tired again?"

Roxas answered in between his yawn. "Yeah…I'm going to head back to my place. I'll see you in the morning, Axel."

Axel smiled. "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Roxas."

And he watched as the Priest in blue robe walked away, disappearing into the biggest, most gorgeous tent in the village.

He decided that he liked it there. Especially with the naïve boy's company.

--

"_What are you doing in here?"_

"Observing."

"_All the soldiers are searching for you. Even the King is outraged by the fact that you've gone missing after a mission."_

"Ah, that fool of a King. All he does is sit around in his throne getting fatter and fatter, ordering his underlings as if they were his properties. It's disgusting. I've decided to quit being a slave."

"_Aren't your loyalty towards the country?"_

"I changed my loyalty. Well, not really. Just let me stay and chill around here for a while. I'll go back when it's time and I will start burning villages again, okay?"

"_It's not like I want you back there. It's your decision. The pay is too good for me to pass."_

"Can you keep being my eyes for a while more?"

"_I'm not leaving you anytime soon. Feel free to use me as you see fit. I might have to charge you for my service."_

Axel smirked. "Fair enough."

--

The two sneaked out in the middle of the night, into the forest, towards the temple. They carried bows and arrows along with them and also a torch lit up with brilliant fire which would serve to light their paths. "Quick, or I'll leave you behind!"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Taro. Seriously," the boy whispered.

"Don't be such a chicken. Let's just go and pull a prank on the tiger and come back and then we'll show the others who's boss."

"If you say so, Taro…"

--

"AHHH!! HELPP!!"

A loud shriek rang through the air just after Axel fell asleep for only a full hour. He peeked out of the tent to find that it was still dark and that he was still horribly exhausted. He decided to ignore the scream. However, it proved impossible since the scream grew louder and more frequent. With a low grunt, he finally got up from his bed and walked out of his tent to see what the commotion was about.

He jumped back almost immediately when a tiger launched at him without warning. "Whoa…" he blinked, fully awake now, watching the enormous deadly land beast standing before him. "Where did this come from?" he asked no one in particular.

When he looked over, he found a wounded villager lying on the ground. The tiger turned its direction towards the wounded villager, taking careful steps towards him. Axel raised his eyebrows. "Hey, I'm right here. Your lunch." he tried distracting the angered beast by picking up a pebble and throwing it at the beast.

The golden fur with black striped tiger growled, turning his attention to the redhead.

Axel smirked, knowing that he was in trouble. He stood there without making a single motion, watching the tiger's movement carefully. The beast's golden eyes stared at him with murderous rage.

He quickly jumped away as soon as the beast lunged and clawed at him, barely missing the attack. He hit the ground hard, feeling the impact in his shoulder. He hissed, trying to find a way to defend himself without a weapon. He immediately dodged when the tiger attacked him again. He looked over to the villager, wondering if he should bring him to safety. "Better worry about my own safety first…"

He gasped and quickly climbed up to a tree when the tiger attempted another attack. The beast couldn't reach him, madly clawing at the tree. However, Axel knew that the tiger would grow clever and start to shake the tree in order to get him down. He narrowed his eyes, thinking hard, trying to find a way to defend himself without a weapon. Well, that wasn't an option.

With a single violent shook, Axel was taken off balance and fell off the tree. He hit the ground with his bottom. "Ouch… be gentle on me…" he whined.

He stood up to his feet without a second delay, trying to avoid yet another attack. But this time, he didn't make it. He was injured by the beast's claw, digging deep into his arm, taking part of his flesh away. The wound immediately started to bleed profusely. He hissed and groaned. The pain was unbearable. He immediately ran to the village's storage, knowing that no one was there. The tiger chased him inside, breaking down the tent, tangled in the clothes and wires that were used as foundations for the tent.

Axel panted, caged between the tent and the trapped tiger. He couldn't see anything. It was dark.

Gasping, he reached around to find some sort of weird weapon near him. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he took the weapon into his hands. Apparently, the weapon was a pair. He used the weapon to break out of the tent's clothes, ripping through it and jumping out of his cage, taking the pair of weapon along with him.

A pair of chakrams… whatever the heck the weapon was… he recognized that it was the chakrams.

He gripped both weapons in his hands, twirling it around, getting used to the feeling of using the weapon. It was his first time wielding them. However, he felt such affinities towards the weapons.

The commotion was soon noticed by the other villagers. They peeked out of their tents, curious of what was happening. Finding a tangled tiger in the storage and a heavily wounded man, the villagers immediately went back to hide inside their tents.

The men however, walked out of their tents, holding spears, bows and arrows, and blades, ready to fight the beast.

"Are you ok?!" One of the villagers asked.

"More than ok," Axel smirked, licking his own wound. It had been a while since he was wounded. The feeling was incomparable. He enjoyed it.

The sky began to roar, thundering. And it cried, pouring down to the earth. The tiger grew irritated, staring down at the villagers one by one with tremendous anger. "You'd all better stay back. He looks real angry," the redhead commented easily.

And with a lunge, the tiger took down the villagers and the weapons aimed at him. However, before it was able to kill anyone, Axel jumped in to protect them, holding off the tiger's fangs and claws with his chakrams. "Hey, these weapons ain't bad at all."

The villagers panicked and went to tend to the injured.

The beast's strength, however, was far more superior to Axel's. It gave a single growl and took the redhead down, its claws digging deep into both of the redhead's shoulder.

Axel released a loud cry.

"Stand away!"

There was a loud thunder. And suddenly, a deafening tune echoed in the rain. And the water accumulated around the tiger, surrounding and caging it in place, taking it far up to the air and then slamming the beast down to the wet, muddy ground.

There was a loud roar and the tiger fell unconscious.

Axel panted. "Wh… was…."

And the warrior also fell into slumber, chakrams dropped to the floor silently.

--

"He should wake up soon… His injuries are severe, but he will recover in time."

There was a sigh of relieve. "That's good to hear… I'm glad he'll be fine."

"So, he's the newcomer, huh?"

"Yeah. Without him, I'm pretty sure there will be many more wounded and dead."

"This makes me wonder why the beast from the mountain would come down and attack the villagers. And speaking of which, where is Riku and Lexaeus? Shouldn't they be guarding the village?"

"Lexaeus is tending to the other villagers. He's staying to protect the village. I'm not sure about Riku. Ansem is leading a search team to search for him in the forest. Taro confesses that he and his friend went to the shrine to… pull a prank on the tiger. And Riku found them when they are being attacked by the beast. He said that his friends are with them and that he was told to go to inform the village, but he didn't know that there was another beast tracking him down."

"That's quite a story…"

The Priest nodded. "Yeah."

"So where is the beast now? Did you dispose of it?"

"We don't kill tigers, Terra. I have imprisoned him in water and he is unconscious just right behind this building. We're lucky that the rain decides to pour at this time… I doubt I would be able to summon such a strong element of water easily without the aid of the rain."

"Should I check on yo…?"

--

Axel woke up with a fit of coughs. He sat up and winced at the pain around his arms and shoulders. "Argh!" he growled, holding his injuries, clenching his eyes shut.

"Don't move," Roxas approached him, putting his hands above Axel's and clutching tightly. "You are heavily injured. You must lie down and rest."

Axel opened his eyes slowly. "Roxas?"

"Yeah. 'tis me." The Priest slowly put the redhead down to rest.

Axel panted. "What a nice sight to wake up to," he forced a grin.

"Are you ok?" The doctor asked.

"Still the same old man. He's fine," Roxas chuckled.

"I'm far from fine. Old man's injured," the redhead laughed.

"Well, you two seem to be in a good humor. You should be fine, newcomer. I have put herbs to your wounds and they should recover within a month. Until then, all you need to do is rest and recuperate."

"And be fat. Yeah, I can do that."

"Yeah, we'll treat you like a King," Roxas rolled his eyes. "Well Doctor Terra, I really appreciate the fact that you would come here so far in the middle of the night. You can spend the rest of the day and night here. We have a guest room reserved for you in the inn."

"It's no problem, Roxas. Thank you for the hospitality. I will stay here for a while to see if there will be more wounded villagers," the doctor got up, about to leave.

"Are there any rumors of attacks going around? It's been awfully quiet for these past three days."

"I haven't heard of anything. It seems like the enemy just give up. But I wouldn't let down. They are possibly planning something… And Roxas, rest when you can, okay? And try not to perform the ceremony if you can… your brother's also worried about you… and also Aqua."

Axel listened in, not saying anything.

Roxas gave a soft smile. "Tell that to Aqua and Ventus. I'll be alright. We'll all be alright."

"… I'm going over to see Lexaeus. I'll see you guys around."

"Alright," the Priest nodded.

The Doctor left.

"… What is this about the ceremony?" Axel voiced out his curiosity.

"Ah, it's nothing," Roxas looked away.

"The faces of the villagers turned green and purple whenever it's mentioned. There must be something."

"It's not a big deal. They're just worried that I get exhausted after the ceremony. That's all," Roxas smiled.

"Right…"

Axel knew that there was something grimmer than that. However, he decided not to force it out of the Priest. "So, there are other Priests doing the same job as you do?"

"Priests and Priestesses, yes. They are spread out in different villages. However, not all villages contain priests or priestesses. Only the chosen ones. They will perform ceremonies to send the spirits to heaven once in a while if the deaths accumulate. To keep the balance…"

Axel nodded, understanding. "So there are more of you…"

"Yeah, it's like a cycle…"

"A cycle?"

"I've spoken too much. You should rest. Thank you for protecting the village. I think the villagers will start having more trusts in you now."

"You know that I'm not from here… Why do you trust me enough to help me around? And not tell others about…"

Roxas put an index finger to Axel's lips. "Hush and go to sleep, old man," he smiled knowingly.

Axel blushed the slightest bit.

Roxas stood up then. "This is my tent. You can treat it as your home. It's big and cozy enough. The biggest tent around," he grinned. "You should feel privileged."

"I feel so already," the redhead laughed.

"One suggestion. It's not a good idea to toss away your armors in the riverbank. People will find out. But don't worry. I've taken care of them for you," Roxas smiled.

"What are…"

The Priest left.

And there it was again…

The knowing smile.

--

Just as Axel was about to fall asleep, another ruckus managed to jolt him up.

"I can never get any rest, can I?" he growled, sitting up from where he was resting, using his un-bandaged hand to rake his damp hair. "Man, this hurts so damn much…" he winced from the pain.

"Warriors who can fight! Follow me to the forest. Riku and Olette are trapped in the forest, surrounded by beasts! We must go and rescue them!" Lexaeus voice could be heard roaring amidst the thunder and rain.

"Trouble…" he peeked out from his tent.

Looking to the side, he noticed the pair of chakrams sitting against the drawer. He hesitated for a while before taking the chakrams and cutting off the bandages tied around his neck and arm. He hissed at the pain. However, it wasn't something he couldn't get used to.

"I'll go with you!"

"No, Roxas. You stay here and tend to the wounded."

"Terra can take care of that! I will go no matter what. I don't want more people to get wounded!" the Priest insisted.

"You are the Priest, Roxas. We can't risk sacrificing you in this small adversity."

"What do you care?! I'll be reborn anyway!"

"Roxas!" A loud roar could be heard. "Know your place!"

"Ansem…" Lexaeus looked over to an old man with pale blond hair.

"The village's elder…" Axel whispered, watching from afar, already stepped out of his tent.

He watched Roxas' expression closely. The area was dark even though it was noon. The rain didn't let off even once. Roxas was glaring murder at the elder.

Reborn…

"I can take care of the beasts… or whatever they are," Axel smirked, breaking the silence. He cracked his knuckle, gripping the chakrams tight.

"What are you do… you should be resting," Roxas commented with obvious concern in his voice.

"Can't very well rest with all you people shouting left and right. I'm not a heavy sleeper, child," he grinned. Then, he turned his attention to the elder and Lexaeus. "There is no need to bring a pack of people over. We will only cause more injuries and deaths. Plus, I'm an outsider. It's ok if I die."

Roxas frowned. "It's not ok if you die, you idiot!" he yelled.

Axel was taken aback. He stared at the boy wearing blue for a whole minute.

"And you are also injured. You have done enough for us," Roxas added.

"These wounds are nothing."

"You think you're up for it, boy?" Ansem looked at him.

"More than sure," Axel nodded.

"Then, let me also go!" Roxas insisted once more.

"N…"

"I say let Roxas go. He's pretty neat with his water thing. I'm sure he can do more than any of us can."

"Axel…"

"Then I will stay," Ansem said. "I will attend to the wounded and protect them."

"Whoa, old man…"

"Lexaeus, you and the newcomer head over to rescue Riku and Olette."

"Yes, Sir."

"Get moving."

Axel and Roxas exchanged glances before heading out with Lexaeus.

--

Axel was silently grateful that he had worn his iron boots prior to heading out. He wouldn't even want to begin to imagine how he could walk wearing slippers in such a slippery condition. Roxas seemed to be fine with wearing slippers… Lexaeus was wearing boots.

"Where are they?" Axel questioned.

"Deep within the shrine." The big man answered.

"Wait, isn't this the way to the waterfall?"

"The shrine is located inside the waterfall. I hope you can handle the water, old man," Roxas smiled.

"Well, you sure are in a cheery mood."

"I've finally won against that stupid Ansem. Of course I'm happy. All thanks to you, old man."

"You're welcome and stop calling me old man already," Axel smirked.

"Right, Axel," Roxas smiled.

They dashed through the waterfall which opened a path to a huge cave. Axel let out a small whistle, impressed. "Shrine is further inside. Don't let your guard down," Lexaeus warned.

"HEY HEYYYY!!! Wait for meeee!!!" There was a loud screaming echoing throughout the cavern then.

Axel paused. "That voice sounds familiar."

"It's Demyx."

"WAIT!!!" Demyx, carrying an arrow and bows, ran up close and stopped, panting and breathing labouredly.

"We're waiting," Axel said, tapping his boots to the water.

"Why are you here, Demyx?" Lexaeus questioned.

"I slept in…" Demyx let out an innocent grin, raking his damp hair with his hand. "Ansem sent me with you guys as a punishment. Told me that I should help out."

"He… can help out?" Axel asked, eyes wide, looking at the Priest.

Roxas laughed. "Demyx is really reliable with his bows and arrows. The most accurate and reliable archer in the village."

"Wow…"

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Demyx grinned goofily at the redhead.

"Alright. Stop dillydallying. Let's proceed." Lexaeus dashed away.

"I wonder what's up with him. What's with the hurry?" the dirty blond questioned, yawning.

Roxas smiled. "Riku and a child are trapped inside the shrine. They might possibly have died."

"WHOA…" Demyx blinked.

Axel raised an eyebrow, surprised that Roxas just said that with such calm voice and even with a smile.

"Well, it's Riku. He's like a cockroach. He won't die that easy," the archer added.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that," Roxas grinned and dashed away.

Axel and Demyx followed.

"You slept through all the commotion?" Axel asked, amazed.

"Yeah. It's a great sleep."

…Right…

--

The shrine was quiet, void from all noises. Not even the soothing sounds of the water could be heard. Before Axel could say anything about the tranquility, two tigers descended from the stairs, surrounding them from both sides, growling hungrily. "Here they come!" Demyx warned, preparing his bow and arrow.

Roxas blew softly to his flute, summoning soothing water that danced around Axel's body. The water lingered around Axel's wounds.

"…that feels good… so good…" Axel blinked, noticing that the ache and pain had vanished.

Roxas smiled, a little bit pale. "Don't get used to it, it's only momentarily."

Axel mirrored the smile. "Thanks, Roxas."

"Me and Demyx will take care of the right side. You and Axel the left side, alright, Priest?" Lexaeus spoke.

"Right," Roxas nodded. "Remember to protect me, Papa," he chuckled.

"You're such a troublesome child," Axel protested, laughing to the air, taking his battle stance, twirling his chakrams in his hands and then he jumped in, dancing with his round shaped weapon.

What an odd relationship they had…

Why did Roxas call him a father to begin with?...

--

Lexaeus and Demyx decided to hold off the beasts while Axel and Roxas ran ahead to get Riku and the child. Both the priest and the redhead were becoming paler and paler as time passed. Both were tired and exhausted—Roxas because of his spell and Axel because of his wounds. The redhead did his best to protect Roxas from being attacked while Roxas played his melodies to weaken the enemies.

"Riku!" Roxas yelled as soon as he saw the figure of the silver head male ran passed by.

Riku stopped, using his blade to block an attack.

Roxas blew some more into his flute, putting all the beasts into deep slumber. He panted.

Olette cried, holding onto Riku.

"Are you ok?" the silveret asked worriedly.

"I'm… fine…" and the priest knelt down on both of his knees.

Axel released his chakrams, catching Roxas before he went tumbling down the floor. "Hey, Roxas!" he shook the boy gently.

"Leave him. He must have used too much of his power," Riku commanded.

Axel hissed as the pain came back to him and the water surrounding his wounds slowly disappeared.

"I'll take care of the Priest." And Riku snatched Roxas away from Axel, leaving Olette to his care. Axel frowned for a bit, but decided not to say anything.

Afterwards, Riku carried the priest bridal style. "Let's move it before these beasts wake up," and he dashed away.

"Jerk…" Axel hissed, holding onto Olette. "Alright, girly. Better hang on tight, alright?"

Holding the girl close, he dashed down the stairs, following the silveret. He still hadn't quite yet gotten used to the layout of the shrine. The shrine had a lot of hidden paths that only the villagers knew of, some that only the priest knew about, according to Roxas.

He wondered if Roxas would be alright…

--

Thanks for the reviews in the last chapter! (:


	3. You

I'm really sorry for the late update. It's been getting harder and harder to write. But hopefully, this will suffice. Thanks a lot everyone!

**--**

**Chapter 3**

**You**

He woke up to the sound of soft whizzing and to the sight of a particular golden haired priest. However, those cerulean eyes were still hidden underneath those eyelids. Axel was never a heavy sleeper. Just a little noise and the smallest of sounds would jolt him to reality. It was to be expected of a general. Without such awareness, he and his soldiers could be assassinated anytime in the war between his country and the enemies.

Strangely, Axel enjoyed the soft noises the priest made when sleeping. It was comforting to him. And oddly, he didn't feel irritated and annoyed over the fact that he had been woken up by such… unimportant noise.

He had rested and that was enough.

Three hours of rest was more than he could ever ask for.

In the stillness, he wondered about what had happened.

All six of them made it out alive. And Taro and Olette were punished for the mess they had made. Roxas was laid down to rest by Riku and doctor Terra treated his wounds again. Speaking of Riku, he wondered where the jerk of a silveret had disappeared to. He remembered Riku being stubborn about not wanting him around Roxas. About how he could be a bad influence to the priest and something about keeping the priest pure. He raised his eyebrows at the latter statement. It wasn't as if he was going to take away Roxas' virginity or anything.

C'mon, he wasn't even interested in that small boy. Sure, Roxas might be a cheerful and smart boy. But Roxas had called him papa and dad. Nothing was going to happen. The closest they would get was best friends. And he would leave it at that.

Though Riku's suggestion did give some… thoughts to his mind.

He watched the sleeping boy.

Sol Divina wasn't a bad place after all. Better than his country, at the very least. That corrupted country of his he had sworn to protect. Ever since the fall of the last king, everything had changed and his devotion had already dwindled to the point that he didn't see anything worth protecting in his kingdom anymore. He didn't want to kill, but he had no choice. And he had no doubt that the platoons would soon reached Sol Divina… in order to search for him, label him traitor, and hang him outside the gate.

"You certainly look very serious. In the middle of the night like this," came a soft chuckle.

Axel smiled softly. "Well yeah, unlike a certain careless boy, adults actually had to spend some time to think."

"Don't frown like that though. It makes you seem so much older than you already are."

The redhead laughed. "So, how are you? Are you feeling better now?"

"Much better. Oh, we're back home…"

"Yeah, Riku carried you all the way home."

Roxas pouted. "Aw, you didn't carry me? Why? Was it because I was too fat?"

"No, I wanted to carry you, but…"

The priest laughed. "I know. Riku just up and snatched me away. As overly protective as ever."

"Oh… is something up with you two?" Axel grinned, nudging Roxas with his elbow.

Roxas shrugged. "We went out once. Then one day, it's as if someone shoved a porcupine up his ass and he began talking about something dumb like it would ruin me or that I should concentrate on my duty instead of him. It happens."

"Wow, you sure have some really good expression. I thought priests should be holy and such."

"Nah, that's just what you people think. I'm not holy at all really," Roxas laughed.

"So, you guys went out once. Wow, you're a big boy."

"It was nothing much. We merely hold hands and that's it. Even the holding hands part was awkward," the priest laughed again, feeling amused. "Oh wait, I think there was one point where we were about to kiss, but got caught by Demyx. So, no kiss. Other than that, same old dull Riku. Very protective and brave, but nothing else to admire about."

"You sure are eager to tell your stories."

"Well, you don't have to listen if you don't want to."

"No, I'd love to listen to your stories. It's just that people would usually refrain from bringing up the past."

"Ah, the past is history. There is nothing to be ashamed of it. And I love bringing up the past," Roxas said eagerly, sitting up from where he was resting to fully face Axel. "You wanna hear more?" he grinned.

"What am I now? Your little lamb?"

"You're in this one, like it or not!"

Axel laughed. "Okay sure. Tell away. We have all night."

"Let's see. Where do I start. Oh, let's start with that first awkward date I was conned into."

"Conned?"

"Yep. My friends decided that it was fun for me, the priest, to date a girl."

"Speaking of which… you went out with Riku? I thought priests are supposed to be…"

"Straight?" Roxas provided and the redhead nodded. "Man, you and Ansem are kinda alike. I guess people get like that when they're old huh?"

"You're kidding! Don't take me like that old guy!" Axel protested.

"No, I'm serious. Ansem is 49, about to be 50. How old are you, old guy?" Roxas teased.

"Guess."

"I would say fifty."

Axel stared wide eyed at Roxas.

"Just kidding. Nineteen."

"I look that young, kid? You're wrong. I'm 23. Now, how old are you?"

"I'll tell you. Do you want my cumulative age or my current age?"

"Huh?... Cumulative age?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm nineteen… again."

"Again?"

"So, anyway… what was I talking about. Oh yeah right. That first girl. She was all quiet and eery. Let me see… her name was… Xion. Yeah. It was Xion. I mean, she was nice looking and had a very soft voice. But it's just really awkward with her. We hardly speak any. I mean, she was definitely really nice and kind… but I guess she was no my type. Or else, I would have some… children now…"

Axel found the last part awkward, but he decided to keep quiet about it.

"Why are you using past tense?" Axel raised his eyebrows.

"Is that _all_ you're worried about? Listen to my story and forget about my tenses and grammars!" Roxas spanked Axel in the head with his flute.

That _hurt_…

"After Xion was this girl named Kairi. Kairi was nice and kind. But other than that… I don't really see anything in her that I liked. In addition, Kairi was also in love with somebody else—so that didn't work out. I forgot about the rest. But I tried going out with my brother once. And it was fun. That was when I found out that I actually liked the same gender too," Roxas smiled.

"You… went out with your brother?"

"Ah yes. We didn't do anything too inappropriate. Some kisses and holding hands. Nothing much, really."

"… I seriously cannot comprehend how you can talk about this so comfortably."

"And you are feeling uncomfortable?" Roxas raised his eyebrows.

For the sake of not being hit by Roxas' flute, Axel shook his head.

"You just lied straight to my face! But that's fine," Roxas smiled. "I remember going out with Ansem once..."

Axel choked. "Wait, what?! Ansem?! I didn't know you are into old people."

"And what does that mean?" Roxas smirked knowingly. "Hey, you're an old person. Maybe I am into you."

Axel felt the heat on his face as Roxas scooted closer and having the boy's face in close proximity. "What? That's not what I..."

Roxas dropped his smirk soon after, and pulled back, going back to his story. "So anyway, I dated Ansem. I swear, he was so much cuter and sweeter when he was younger. He would climb up trees to pick the sweetest fruits for me. He would go into the lake to catch me some fish. He would cook. He did everything to make me happy."

Axel raised his eyebrows. Since when ago was Ansem "younger"? Wasn't Ansem already fifty per what Roxas said? The youngest he could be when he was dating Roxas should be thirty two, considering that Roxas was still a new born. If Roxas began dating say at the age of ten… Ansem was forty… That… wasn't really young. Did Axel calculate the whole thing wrong or was something amiss?

Roxas broke the silence with soft chuckles. "You have a frown on your face, Axel," he pointed to the frown with his index finger.

"I'm just trying to make sense of what you are talking about."

"Oh, don't worry about it. What I'm saying doesn't really make any sense unless you know what's happening around here," the priest smiled knowingly. Axel sensed a tinge of sadness in the smile.

"So… Ansem… what happened then?"

"He turns into the assholes everybody else becomes," Roxas commented bitterly with a dry smile.

"And…? What do you…"

"Oh, easily enough… in the end. I am the Priest. A priest is not destined to be with anyone. Both sides will be unhappy."

"But that's…"

"Bullshit? No. It's the truth really. I don't blame them for being the assholes they are," Roxas shrugged. "No one blamed them. People are born selfish. _I_ am also selfish."

"…"

"Remember that, Axel."

"Remember what?"

"That I am selfish," Roxas concluded with a sweet smile.

Axel was baffled. He couldn't make sense of anything Roxas was talking about.

"Hum…" Roxas contemplated. "I had a lot of relationships… but it's really weird when I meet them all again after all that…"

"Wait… aren't you just nineteen? … how come you already have _that_ many relationships?" Axel frowned at that, finally voicing out his curiosity.

"Aww, don't get angry because I'm charming, Axel."

Axel laughed. "Yeah. Right."

"Though it's all fun," Roxas nodded firmly.

"… what do you mean about being reborn?" Axel finally voiced his question.

"Reborn… Did I say that?"

"You did. When you were arguing with Ansem."

"You'll find out in time, Axel. You'll find out. Until then… you'll just have to be patient." Those cerulean eyes suddenly turned cold, void of emotion. "By the by, I have to go back to sleep. I have a ceremony again the next day… well, today actually seeing as how it's already midnight. You'd come and see, right?" he asked, hopeful.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it."

"Promise?"

"Of course," Axel nodded, a bit confused as to why he had promised. "Don't work yourself too hard, Roxas."

"Will do. … this is the second ceremony this week…"

"Come to think of it… yeah…"

"I wonder how much time I have left…" Roxas sighed.

Axel frowned.

What did Roxas mean by that?...

--

Axel couldn't sleep all night. Partly because of what Roxas had said to him earlier.

The inhabitants of Sol Divina were hiding something from him and he couldn't figure out what… just yet. He looked out through the clothes of the tent. What a silent night. Everybody must be sleeping still and soundly after all that commotion.

"Can't sleep?" came a soft yawn.

Axel turned to the direction of the voice. "I apologize. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, not really. I'm tired, but I can't sleep, really."

"Let me guess. The ceremony?"

"Yeah. The dance," the priest released a sigh, jumping out of his bed and walking up to Axel.

"Why do you… a boy, have to dance?" Axel raised his eyebrows. "I mean… isn't that girls' job?"

"Are you trying to say that I'm not doing a good job?" Roxas grinned teasingly.

"No, you did an excellent job, really. I'm just wondering."

"Gender doesn't really matter. It's just a matter of who gets the job done, right?"

And there it was again… that sad face of his.

"I suppose so… So, why couldn't you sleep? Your dance is beautiful. I haven't seen of any other like that."

The comment piqued Roxas' curiosity. "Really? There's nothing like this where you come from?"

Axel shook his head.

"Huh… I would have bet that the other side of the country has people dancing and whatnot…"

"Other side of the…"

"I can help you sleep!" Roxas cheered excitedly.

"What?" Axel was taken aback by the sudden exclamation.

"Go on and lie down on my bed."

"WHAT?!" Axel looked at the boy as if doom was approaching.

Roxas laughed out to the air. "Don't start having naughty thoughts on me now. I won't be joining you on the bed or rape you or anything. Now, do as I say, Axel."

"… only if you're sure…" the redhead shrugged, still confused. He then got up from where he was sitting and walked over to the bed made of wood. He lied down on the soft mattress as Roxas had wanted him to do.

"Now, close your eyes," Roxas smiled, dragging a wooden block near the bed to sit down on it.

Axel was hesitant. But he felt like he could trust the boy. It was a weird sort of feeling… He only knew the boy for a couple of days… but the affinity he felt towards him was tremendous.

Then, as he closed his eyes, soothing melody rhymed in the air. The melody of a flute, so sweet and comforting… a lullaby… Axel opened his eyes to find Roxas playing the flute. And the tune stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Roxas tilted his head to the side, confused.

Axel laughed. "No, nothing's wrong. Sorry. It's just that… wh… what are you doing?"

"Helping you sleep? I am confident that my tune is soft enough to draw you into the land of dreams."

Axel merely blinked, not saying anything in response.

"Well, if the tune keeps you from sleeping instead… never mind…" Roxas looked away, disappointed and dejected.

"No, that's not what I mean. No one has ever sung or play me a lullaby before."

"Really?" the boy asked, surprised.

"My mother and father were killed in the war shortly after I was born. I was…" Axel stopped. _Taken into the military thereafter… _

"I'm sorry that you have to go through that…"

"I'm fine. It has been a long time ago. I'm healthy and alive. That's what matters."

"Sometimes, I wonder if being dead is better than being alive." (*)

"Huh?"

"Never mind. So, still up for it? I'm sure you'll sleep soundly. You look like a corpse. You need to have more sleep."

"Well, if you're that confident… sure," Axel smiled. "But don't get so confident though, I never dream. Not once since my parents' death."

"We'll see about it tomorrow, won't we?" Roxas smiled, raising his flute to his mouth.

As Axel closed his eyes once again, the melody Roxas played rhymed in the air. So smooth…

Somehow, Axel felt like he was a child again.

And he was slowly drawn into sleep.

A long, deep sleep he had been awaiting for…

And even more so… a sleep… accompanied by a vivid dream.

--

All he remembered about the dream the next day (and he was sure of it) was that he dreamt of a very young Roxas. He didn't know what the dream was about nor did he remember the other characters in the dream. However, he did remember seeing two very unfamiliar faces—adults… a couple. He wondered who they were.

He had to shake his head awake, a gesture he had never done before. His head was actually heavy from the sleep.

He looked around, only to find himself in Roxas' tent and to find his wound already newly bandaged. He didn't know what to do except than to be baffled that he didn't know someone had treated him. The sunlight shone into the openings of the tent. He took his robe, wore it, and headed out of the tent to find the whole village empty.

"Oh shoot… the…"

"THE CEREMONY! THE CEREMONY!"

Oh there he was… The-myx. Or was it Demyx? Yeah… definitely The-myx. No maybe it was Demyx… anyway, that was unimportant.

"The ceremony!" Axel exclaimed.

"I SLEPT IN!!! I can't believe this!!!" Demyx ran around frantically, collecting his bows and arrows from the storage and running to the direction of the forest.

Axel followed from behind, forgetting the fact that there were wild animals in the woods, hence forgetting his weapons.

"Hey, Demyx," Axel ran after the archer.

"Oh… it's you," the archer blinked at the redhead.

"Slept in," Axel explained without being asked.

Demyx laughed and grinned happily. "Finally someone who slept in too!!! I think I'm beginning to like you, Axel! C'mon! Let's go or we'll be late to see Roxas!"

Axel was eager to see Roxas but it wasn't that he thought it was an entertainment. It was just that Axel had promised that he'd be there to see Roxas dance.

--

Luckily, Demyx was kind enough to protect the weaponless Axel from wild animals attack. They made it safely and right on time, seeing as the ceremony hadn't started yet. The waterfall was already surrounded by the eager villagers when they arrived. Axel couldn't find Roxas around so he decided to squish into the crowds and made it inside the shrine to find Roxas. Demyx decided to stay outside, knowing that it was inappropriate for villagers to step foot inside the shrine. He had tried to stop Axel, but Axel was persistent.

After stepping foot inside the shrine, the redhead paused. Emerald eyes turned wide at the sight of the bare Priest. Water droplets could be seen trickling down the smooth, flawless skin of the priest.

Axel choked and he immediately turned around and looked away.

Wrong timing… definitely _wrong_ timing.

"Oh, I see someone's here," Roxas smirked, taking his flute and aiming water towards the redhead's direction.

Axel was then soaked with water.

"Hey, what was that for?!" he protested, drenched.

"You perv," the priest smiled.

"I didn't see anything," Axel lied. He saw _everything_.

"Yeah, right. I believe you," the boy rolled his eyes. "It's okay though. You're allowed to stare."

"I am?" Axel blinked, turning around to look at the priest hesitantly. And then, he looked away again, face red.

"What are you all embarrassed about? We're both males," Roxas laughed to the air.

"And you are too ignorant…"

"You are so sweet," Roxas smiled softly. "This is a small ritual that the priest had to go to before the ceremony. A little bit of cleansing so that I'm pure, so that the souls will be able to use me as a medium. No one is allowed in here though. How did you get it here?"

"I… just walked straight in?" Axel blinked.

Roxas laughed again. "Typical. No guards or anything. And Ansem's job is just to sit around all day in his tent. You'd think this village will be stricter about this kind of things, right?"

Axel nodded. Slowly, he came to admire the boy's lean body, pale and flawless skin. He felt lucky that Roxas' lower body was hidden underneath the water.

"Well, it used to be a lot stricter. I like it like this though. I like it when those people stop being asses to me all the time. It's kinda annoying when they follow you everywhere and protect you from everything."

"Shouldn't they do that though?"

"Ever since I threaten that I would cut myself if they do that, they stopped," Roxas smiled. "Oh and don't worry. I don't plan on cutting myself. Too painful. If I want to die, I want it to be a painless one. Or wait… maybe they didn't stop because of that. It's because I'm old enough now for them to care less. Most young priests and priestesses have to live through really strict rules. They don't even have freedoms. I've went through that."

"… How old are you?"

"Forgot already? Nineteen, Axel."

"You said something about cumulative age last night."

"Four hundred and nineteen. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that's funny," Axel rolled his eyes.

Roxas laughed.

"I guess I should get ready for the ceremony. Glad that you come."

"I've promised," Axel smiled.

"If only everybody keep their promises. Of course, I'm not one to complain. Wanna help me get dressed?"

Axel's eyes went wide. "Wh…?!"

"I've told the helpers to scram. That is why nobody is here. And of course, being a fool they are, they have forgotten that I need help in wearing the robe."

"You're the one telling them to go away to begin with."

"Oh, now you're saying it's my fault? When I want privacy?" Roxas narrowed his eyes.

"Definitely your fault, little Priest," Axel challenged, smirking.

"Fine. Go away. I can handle this all by myself," the Priest waved, upset.

Axel didn't walk away. He watched. His blush darkened as he saw the Priest walked out of the small hot spring naked. The boy then dried himself with the blue towel already prepared there on the rock. He bent down, still wrapped in the towel, to retrieve his folded red robe. He wore the robe then.

The redhead had to do all he could in order to take his eyes away. He took in a shrill breath, captivated by the sight. The smooth noises of the waterfall outside echoed in the hollow of the temple. Vaguely, he could hear the faint gush of the wind and the faint sounds of bells. As he looked back to the boy, he found out that Roxas had trouble tying his robe.

"Do you… need help?" Axel asked, a bit nervous.

The priest didn't say anything, stubbornly trying to tie his robe with much difficulty.

Axel noticed that and he stepped forward to take the waistband from Roxas' hand. Their hands touched one another's and they immediately drew back.

There was an awkward silence between the two.

They never said anything as Axel went back to help Roxas tie the waistband, making a beautiful ribbon shape at the back of Roxas' blood-shot robe.

Somehow, Axel was really tempted by the back of Roxas' lean, pale neck. He imagined how soft it would feel against his lips…

He swallowed.

How inappropriate.

--

The ceremony took place at night. Roxas was again, standing at the center of the waterfall, on the flat rock, except now wearing red robe. The robe danced with his movements. The tune of his flute radiated soft melodies all about, blending into one with the water's noises.

Watching up close, Axel had a different view of the ceremony.

Roxas' tunes were sad ones. Those melodies that came out of his flute... those melodies that served no other purpose than to soothe the death. In the entire ritual, his eyes were closed. He was at ease, in comfort. The Ritual of the Dead didn't seem to bother him at all.

And as he held his flute and kept playing the same dismal melody, he stepped forward, to the center of the ceremonial site, surrounded by countless little lit-candles, forming a circle around him.

The souls were flying all about, crossing paths, moaning in despair. It was as if they were pleading...begging to be freed from their chains and embodiment in the human world.

Axel watched carefully, observing the one that produced such melody, Roxas. He released a small breath--one of awe, one of sadness.

The night sky was nothing but an abyss of darkness. There were no stars, there was no moon.

Only the flames lighted the area--the flames from the torch, from the fire pit set by the villagers, and from the candles.

The dark water tingled silently and the melodies kept ringing in the silent night. The Flutist was never once out of breath

The flutist, who wore a very traditional ceremonial red robe--swirling as it was blown by the wind.

One soul flew passed the redhead. Axel tried grabbing it... but with a chilling moan, it passed through Axel's fingers. The redhead could feel the freezing wind blew passed him and he took in a sharp breath

How could such sad melody be produced by someone such as Roxas...

The Roxas that he thought he knew... The Roxas that was always cheerful, smart, and happy and so comforting to be with...the tunes that came out of that wooden flute was always a happy one. He could feel all the joy and tranquility overflowing inside his heart whenever he heard Roxas' tunes.

But now... he felt nothing but overwhelming despair.

All these wars…

Axel leaned against the tree behind him, watching silently. Afterwards, a chilling drop of water touched the tip of his nose gently as he tilted his head up to the dark shades of the sky.

When he threw his attention back to the Flutist, jade eyes went wide.

And the Flutist opened his cerulean eyes. Those cerulean eyes weren't the same as they used to be. They were filled with sorrow. And he began dancing... ever so slowly and elegantly...

His moves were as if trained--ones that were already memorized, so natural and graceful.

The souls began shrieking silently, moaning, and flying passed impatiently... finally they all gathered in one place, as if attracted by the Flutist, circling around Roxas.

Axel frowned as he saw _something_ being sucked out of Roxas' body. He wasn't sure… but he knew something was being sucked out as the souls entered and was released from the Priest's body. As a medium… being reborn… how much longer he still had… being dead better than being alive…

Somehow, Axel didn't have any idea how to put the pieces together…

As the Flutist stopped, he began blowing into his flute again, ending his song...

And thus, ending the ritual...

And it began raining--cleansing the dirt... the leftover of the ceremony that was considered...unclean.

And there was silent. Sobs and cries of the villagers could be heard... tears shed for those who had been sent... for those who had gone to the other side of the world.

All Axel could see was the back of the Flutist. He stood up straight and he reached out, as if trying to touch Roxas. But it was clearly impossible... they were standing so far away from one another.

Suddenly, Roxas felt like another person... someone so distant that Axel had never known....

And the Flutist turned, holding tight to his flute. His gorgeous crimson robe swaying and swirling with his every single move.

Cerulean eyes caught jade ones.

Roxas smiled, tilting his head to the side. A drop of sweat could be seen trickling down the side of his temple.

He took in a deep breath, panting a little. But his smile was still beautiful--the smile that was as if saying "everything will be alright."

Calming… taking away all unease.

And Axel mirrored and returned the smile.

Though Axel's smile... wasn't as beautiful of Roxas', wasn't as comforting as Roxas'...

And the Flutist walked over to the redhead. "I hope I did good," he grinned so childishly that Axel couldn't believe the person who just performed the ritual was the same as the child who was standing in front of him.

"Axel?" Roxas tilted his head to the side, whispering lightly when he received no response.

"Oh..." the redhead choked a little, clearing his throat. He ran his fingers though his hair, a nervous habit of his. "It was... great... It was really pleasant."

Roxas' face straightened. "Really?..." he hung his head low, not really believing the redhead's words, as if he had the ability to read Axel's thoughts. "But last time you said…"

"Oh… I still stand by what I said last time, Roxas."

"Yeah right, Old man," the young boy chuckled.

The dance was definitely beautiful and everyone was impressed.

However, Axel wasn't the simplest bit impressed. He was worried about Roxas' well being.

About the cheerful boy he had just known for a number of weeks.

--

A bit like the idea of FFX. But no, I'm not using the entire idea of FFX. So anyway, hope you enjoyed. Thanks a lot for reading everyone. I'd love to hear from you. Have a good day. (:


	4. Traitor

Hi, back with another chapter. (: Not a lot of people are reading. But I sure hope that you who are reading will enjoy it. I really do.

**--**

**Chapter 4**

**Traitor**

The crowds dispersed a while later, again, leaving the exhausted Roxas alone. However, this time, Demyx and Riku could be seen. "Are you okay, Rox?!" Demyx exclaimed worriedly.

The boy panted, falling to the ground in front of Axel, face pale. "I'm fine. It seems my time is drawing closer and closer…"

"Don't push yourself too hard, Roxas…" Riku said coldly, though there was a slight worry in his tone.

"Yeah, Rox! You shouldn't dance anymore!"

The priest laughed at the comment. "Tell that to Ansem and the balance of the world. As long as people die, I will keep dancing. That is my duty. It has been like that… And it won't change anytime soon."

"Stop acting so strong!" Axel roared suddenly.

Demyx looked over, surprised. "Axel…?"

"Don't keep saying that you're going to die when you keep pushing yourself so hard! Even if you die, it's your own fault. And stop drawing sympathies if you don't want people to pity you. Stop telling me everything and then hide everything from me," Axel frowned, enraged.

Roxas looked away.

"That was cruel, Axel…" Demyx said coldly.

"It's better to keep your mouth shut rather than to sputter around unnecessary words, newcomer," Riku glared and lifted Roxas to his back. "I'll take you back to the village, Roxas. Let's go."

Roxas nodded softly, face still pale.

Demyx and Riku left, carrying Roxas, leaving the redhead alone there.

Axel didn't do anything, merely staring, releasing a breathy sigh.

He shouldn't have said that.

--

He managed to get back to the village by avoiding all the wild beasts. He went back to his tent, only to discover that he needed to change his bandage soon. He didn't care. He lied down on his thin floor bed, hearing his spine cracking. And he released yet another breathy sigh that day.

Roxas had given him hospitality and something more… but he repaid the boy with ignorance and selfishness. What an adult he was…

It was yet another sleepless and starless night.

Starless night… because of so many deaths. He wondered if his soldiers were attacking another village again.

Maybe he should return to his country…

--

"Zexion, I need some help."

"_Oh, that's new. You need some help now."_

Axel rolled his eyes, lying in the tent all by himself. "As a payment, you can claim all my properties in that place."

"_In the country of Ghilderia?"_

"Yes."

There was a small chuckle echoing through the silent air. _"If I claim that, people will suspect that I have murdered you. Though I don't think that's a bad thing. Your people have labeled you a traitor and they are tracking you down. Either they want to execute you or the King still finds some use in you. Anyway, they want you back there. And I was questioned left and right."_

"Just tell them that I'm already dead."

"_You know what's interesting? They seem to be unable to find this village."_

"What are you trying to say?"

"_It seems this village is invisible to their eyes… I'm trying to figure out why we're the only two non-villagers who can see this village…"_

"That's… odd."

"_I have a feeling it's because of the priest. This village is mapped. But no one can find it."_

"I would love to know if you've figured out the reason why."

"_I will inform you. Now, what do you need help with, General?"_

"I want you to find out everything about this village. The priest… being reborn, the ceremony and the dance of Death, everything."

"_I'll look into it. By the way, I tried following the doctor that treated your wounds the other day. And… I saw him disappear right in front of my eyes when he entered a field. I suspect there's… a force field involved."_

"Really?"

"_I'll look more into it. Until then, maybe you can do something too rather than just staying low in this village,"_ Zexion remarked.

"If I could, I would."

--

Two days after, the whole village was preparing for a celebration that would take place a couple of days later to show how grateful they were to have survived the ordeal of the beasts in the shrine. From what Axel had gathered, part of the reason why the celebration was going to be held was to calm the beasts down and the priest would be responsible to play his flute and send the beasts back to the far beyond mountain.

Villagers were harvesting grapes from the grape field that was located just a couple of miles away from So Divina, up the hill. Some of the villagers went out to gather other kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some cooked and brewed stew. Some gathered woods and water and some chopped the woods to small pieces for starting fire. The villagers divided their tasks accordingly, women did the cooking and harvesting, and men did the labor work.

What did Axel do?

He did all the standing around and watching.

Mostly because he didn't know what to do. And the villagers of Sol Divina didn't seem to need his assistance. Demyx and Lexaeus, as far as he knew, were out gathering apples and fish. He had no idea about Riku and he didn't care. If he had the choice, he would rather not ever talk to or even see the silveret.

He didn't see the priest around. He wondered if the boy bore any hatred or disappointment towards him for what he had said two days before. He hadn't seen him yesterday too.

"Hey, what are you doing standing around there? We could use some help!" One of the women shouted, giggling softly.

"Me?" Axel pointed his thumb at his chest, raising his eyebrows at the woman cleaning fruits and vegetables near the storage tent.

"Yeah, you!"

"We could use some help with carrying bags of rice. The men are missing," a woman with braided hair smiled. "They either skip their jobs or go away drinking. Either way, you're the only man left! And we're not going to let you just stand around," she commented smartly.

Axel released a small scoff that showed not his annoyance but his feeling of humor. "Alright then. Where are the bags of rice?"

"My name is Tifa. You are Axel, correct?"

Axel nodded.

"Well, it seems your wounds have almost fully recovered now." The raven haired woman walked close and patted Axel's wound on the arm.

Axel cringed and hissed.

"Hey, careful with that," Axel warned.

Tifa giggled. "Right, tough boy. Now go and carry those bags to that tent right there." She pointed to the tent located to the west of the storage tent, a couple of feet away. "And if you're done, go ahead to the river just to the northwest of that tent. I'm sure the girls there will find you something to do," she grinned sweetly.

Axel narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and released a sigh. "And why would I find something to do for myself?"

"Because then, we will tell you where Roxas is."

Axel blushed the slightest bit. "What, I…"

"Oh, c'mon know. We all know you care for Roxas. Even though we are not allowed to attend the ceremony, we have a way of knowing."

"Speaking of which… I just recently noticed that no women attended the dancing ceremony, why is that? And here I thought women would love that kind of event."

"Oh, we love it. But we're not allowed to watch. Women are considered impure in Sol Divina. Those that are not pure are not allowed to watch. And thus, our rule is to hide ourselves inside the tents while the men watched and be entertained by the dances the priests or priestesses performed."

Axel frowned at the explanation. "Impure? What kind of nonsense is that?..."

"That's just how it goes. We stopped thinking about it. Besides, even if I am given the choice, I would rather not watch the dance…" Tifa stated thoughtfully.

"Why is that?"

"The dance… don't you sense the sorrow and sadness that it contains? Even the melody… it's haunting… And what will happen to the priest afterwards…"

"What _will_ happen to the priest?" And again, Axel felt angry for being in the dark.

"You don't know?" Tifa raised her eyebrows.

"I don't, so tell me."

"It's forbidden to be spoken about. You will find out sooner or later. If you don't know… then you might want to stay away from the priest… before you're further involved with him."

"W…"

"What are you standing around for? Go and do your work!" Tifa laughed, immediately dismissing the topic.

One thing Axel learned. The villagers of Sol Divina were especially talented in switching topics and Roxas did a spectacular job in it.

--

What a surprise… a storage full of rice bags. He knew they wouldn't let him do easy jobs. After a full hour of hard work of moving those rice bags, he walked over to the river, panting, and wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeves. It was until then that he noticed he was over clothed.

He paused halfway, taking off his robe and his upper shirt, leaving his top bare. He flexed his shoulder to release the tension in his joints and muscle. Then, he released a sigh of relief as the cool wind hit his sweaty body. He stopped by his tent to drop his robe and shirt off and then walked over to the river. The women were there, washing vegetables and clothes, etc. "Need any help?" he offered. Not that he was eager to work, but he sure would love to know where the boy was.

The girls giggled, watching Axel's bare top. Some blushed.

"Oh, I see that someone's eager to know the whereabouts of the priest," a girl commented, raising her eyebrows. This time, it was a cheerful brunette with curly hair, wearing a green bandana. "Selphie, nice to meet you!" she waved.

"Nice to meet you," Axel smirked.

"You're not going to even tell us your name?"

"You know my name."

Selphie giggled. "Alright then, Axel! Go ahead and catch all the snakes you can find! We need fifty of 'em!"

Axel's eyes went wide. "Fifty _snakes?!_"

Selphie nodded, as if her request was the most natural one. "Yep yep! Snakes make the best cuisine! Now move your ass or you won't get to know where Roxas is."

Axel took in a deep breath and released it in defeat. "Fine."

Selphie pointed to where the chakrams were lying. "The chakrams are there. Use them as you see fit!"

Axel nodded and went over to take the chakrams, gripping them in his hands and twirled them around. "Alright." He dashed away into the forest nearby. "Time to hunt some snakes."

--

The sun soon sank below the mountains. And so far, Axel had only managed to stash forty two snakes in his bag and he soon grew sick of them hissing at him. He decided that he now hated those lizard skinned reptile that crawled all over the place even more. Those snakes were tougher to catch than he had expected and he was drained out. He didn't understand why they had to cook snakes. Were those things even edible?

He growled, slashing randomly at a tree branch, hoping that snakes would come falling down from their hidings. No luck. The snakes in his bag hissed, protesting, fighting to get out. Axel cringed, he always hated lizards and serpents.

The firmament was now a mess of orange and soft pink color.

"Eight more… c'mon…" he groaned.

Then, a soft giggle rang through the silence of the woods. "Are you alright, Axel?"

He looked around, finding the priest standing on a tree branch. "Roxas?" he raised his eyebrows. "It's… you."

"Well, you sure look surprised. Thought I'm dead?" he chuckled, amused.

"No, of course not. It's just that…"

"Here!" Roxas played some tune on his flute and snakes wrapped in bubbles of water floated towards Axel.

Axel released a silent shriek.

Roxas laughed, definitely entertained. "I caught eight for ya!" he cheered. "Now your job is done!"

"How do you know I needed eight?"

"Oh, of course I know. Go hand those snakes back. The ladies do need to cook and brew them into delicious and tasty soup," Roxas smiled softly. "I'll see you up the hill when you're finished, Ax!"

As the boy dashed away, the water bubbles burst and those snakes went tumbling down the ground with nasty little slippery noises. Axel choked. With a nasty look on his face, he picked the unconscious snakes up and shoved them inside his bag.

Axel noticed that the boy wasn't wearing any robe. Instead he wore a simple shirt with short pants and slippers. He smiled. It was nice seeing the boy dressed as… a normal boy.

--

After handing the bag of snakes to Selphie, Axel rushed over to the promised hill. Selphie was ecstatic over the snakes, saying that they would make very delightful meals. The redhead merely watched and nodded with wide eyes. Well, Roxas did say that the stew would taste good. He made a note to have a bite in the celebration.

The sky was as if flaming, smoking, and burning feverishly. It had been quite a while since he really noticed the color of the afternoon firmament. As he ran up the hill, he saw the golden colored hair belonging to the boy. Roxas craned his neck to the side, looked up at him and smiled. "You're here."

"Yeah, I am," the redhead panting, taking in deep breaths. "Roxas, I'm so…"

"You are forgiven." Roxas said with his back facing Axel, sitting on the top of the hill, neck craning up, watching the slowly setting sun and the even slower drifting clouds.

"But I… Riku was right, that was…"

Roxas giggled. "It's okay. I know how you feel. It's just like everyone else," he stated bitterly, not looking at the redhead.

Axel frowned at that. "Everyone else?"

Roxas giggled again. "Yeah. All the friends that I've come to know. They distanced themselves from me as soon as they saw me performing the Ritual of the Dead, thinking that I might accidentally send them away or something," he explained with much humor.

But Axel could feel the sadness that was hidden underneath those words.

"That's..." Axel shook his head. "...inhuman."

"I don't blame them," Roxas smiled sincerely. "I'd act the same way too if I were in their shoes," he said, ever so cheerfully.

The redhead felt like he wanted to bang his head over and over again against the nearest vertical wall for making such a kind and gentle person... sad...

"You won't!" Axel yelled suddenly.

Roxas was taken aback, finally shifting some to face the redhead. "Huh?" he questioned, puzzled.

"I know you won't! Even when you're in their shoes. I know you." Axel continued, "And I know that I won't desert you simply because of that. You can take my words on it."

There was a long and comfortable silence between them as they stared into one another's eyes.

Roxas broke the silence.

"Hey, Axel. Have you ever noticed something about the sunset?"

"Huh?"

"The sunset… it's prettier… than the color of your hair," Roxas chuckled. "Come here and see!" he cheered happily.

Axel tilted his head to the side, but he nodded then and sat down beside the boy, watching the sun slowly sinking beyond the horizon.

"Do you agree with me?" Roxas smiled.

"Of course not. The color of my hair is the best color there is."

Roxas laughed softly. "How come I know you'd say that?"

"Because you know everything," Axel shook his head and smiled, watching Roxas' eyes.

Those pair of cerulean eyes stared back at him, confidence and strength were present in that stare.

"I'm really sorry for what I've said."

"I already said you're forgiven. Don't think too much about it. You have your right to be annoyed."

"I'm not annoyed," Axel shook his head. "I guess I'm just angry that I don't know anything… while everybody knows."

"Axel, have you ever heard that… ignorance is bliss?" Roxas tilted his head to the side, still facing the redhead. "It's better to be kept in the dark. It's so much better to not know anything and live your life the way it is."

"But I want to know! I want to know more about you."

Roxas' eyes went wide, his cheek slightly red. "Why?"

"I don't know… You're just… so interesting. And you're so different from anyone I've met. You're the only person that I can talk to and smile…really smile… I've already forgotten the feelings of having emotions and you reminded me."

"Axel…"

They stared into each other's eyes.

"Promise you won't be angry once you know?"

"I promise," Axel nodded.

"Will you promise to take care of me if something happened to me?"

"I pro…"

Axel was cut off by a far away scream. And then, black smoke began rushing to the sky.

"What the…" Axel stood up, alerted.

"Sol Divina!" Roxas pointed to the blazing village.

--

The village was burning madly by the time they rushed inside. There were screams and shrieks, pleads for help. Children were murdered, women were raped and killed, and men were fighting to protect their family.

Axel immediately rushed over to provide aid, swinging his chakrams wildly, killing one by one soldiers. They were… the soldiers from Ghilderia. Roxas played a tune on his flute, but no water came. "I can't summon water… the fire's…"

"It's alright, Roxas! Stay behind me!"

Roxas nodded.

"YAH!"

"Demyx!" Axel and Roxas ran over to the fighting archer.

Demyx released another arrow at the soldier that was about to attack him, hitting the enemy straight at the heart. Axel quickly dashed over to take down another soldier that was about to strike the archer from behind. "Are you okay?!" he asked worriedly.

"You! You traitor!" Demyx narrowed his eyes, panting, holding the side of his waist.

"You're bleeding!" Roxas gasped, seeing the blood streaming out of Demyx's wound.

"It's nothing, Roxas. It's just a minor wound…" Demyx gasped, hissing in pain.

"Where are the others? The villagers, Lexaeus, Riku, Ansem?"

"Ansem's…" Demyx looked away darkly. "He's killed… he tried to come to terms with the soldiers… but he was humiliated and killed."

"No…" Roxas bit his upper lip. "This is my fault…"

"It's hardly your fault, Roxas! It's his fault!" Demyx pointed his finger at the redhead.

"No, the barrier… I should have…"

Axel shook his head. "I didn't do anything…" he backed away.

"Oh yeah?! _General_ Axel from Ghilderia?!" Demyx shouted, then leaned back, fisting his bow.

Roxas looked over to Axel. "Axel… you…"

"I didn't! I swear! I never sold any of you out!"

"Oh, so now you admit it! You're from the enemy country!"

"Demyx, are you alright?!" Lexaeus came running over, carrying his blood soaked giant axe.

"I can't use water. I'm sorry…" Roxas looked away, trying to heal Demyx's wound by applying liquid potion over it.

Demyx released a silent cry.

"Hang in there, Dem…"

Lexaeus then looked over to find the redhead. "You… traitor!" he swung his axe at the redhead's direction.

Axel immediately dodged to the side, barely avoiding the attack. Demyx took his bow and shoot an arrow at Axel.

The redhead tried to dodge the arrow, but he was too late. The arrow grazed over his shoulder, creating a deep wound.

"ENOUGH!" Roxas cried.

"Roxas…"

Demyx and Lexaeus stopped.

"I believe in him. If Axel said he didn't do anything, then he didn't! Stop quarreling and save the village!" the priest commanded.

"Yes, priest."

Demyx stood up and ran away with Lexaeus, heading over to take down soldiers.

Axel walked over to the boy. "Roxas…"

Roxas took in a deep breath, not saying anything. "Let's go." And he ran away, deeper into the village, followed by the confused and shocked Axel.

--

Thanks. Love you all. Updates will keep coming until I've exhausted everything that I have in the rest of my 6k words document. So it will be one more update. (: I will work on this one.


	5. Betrayal

Enjoy everyone! x3

**Chapter 5**

**Betrayal**

Deeper inside the village, Axel saw Riku fighting against Zexion. Zexion noticed Axel and smirked. "Oh why, hello there, General," the assassin waved.

"You!" Riku paused and began charging at Axel.

Roxas stood in front of the redhead. "Stop, Riku. He is not our enemy."

"He is with _these _people!" Riku screamed, stopping in his track.

"Zexion… you…"

"What I suspected was right, Axel," Zexion smirked.

"What did you…?!"

"I led the troop here… to destroy the village. And it's all thanks to you that we are able to infiltrate this village at all, General. The King will reward you greatly."

"You bastard!" Axel threw his chakrams at the lilac haired assassin. Zexion avoided it swiftly.

"Someone sure got anger and rage going on," Zexion smirked some more. "Isn't this what you wanted all along?"

Lexaeus ran up to Zexion suddenly and showed his toothy grin.

"Lexaeus! Kill him!" Riku said.

Roxas watched. Something was wrong… "Where's Demyx?"

"Oh that useless crybaby?" Lexaeus smirked.

Riku narrowed his eyes. "You…!"

"Ghilderia will also reward you greatly, Lexaeus."

"I look forward to what offer you can give me."

"More than you can imagine."

"Why?..." Roxas shook his head.

"This will be enough of a mess to end your life, Priest," Zexion smiled. "Except you, the rest I will kill."

And soldier began closing in on them from different directions. "As the general, I command you to cease this act immediately!" Axel roared.

"The King has given me full authority to control the troops, Axel. Either you come back with us or we will end you here, traitor."

Axel didn't say anything.

"The king has high expectations of you, Axel. I promise I will not harm the rest if you come back with us," Zexion offered.

"And you expect me to believe you? These people are of no use for you. You will dispose of them no matter what I do," Axel countered.

"Ah, you are indeed very smart."

"It seems the general has made his decision. Kill the traitor and the rest, soldier!"

Axel gripped his chakrams tight. He swore to himself he will protect Roxas.

Riku gripped his blade tight.

Roxas backed away, holding onto his flute. And there was a tremor as Lexaeus swung his axe to the ground.

"Cover your eyes!"

"What?!"

And there was a sudden bright light.

The second Zexion and the soldiers were able to see again, Riku, Roxas, and Axel were already gone.

"Pests…" Lexaeus spat.

Zexion scoffed.

--

They stopped and panted.

"W-where are we?" Axel asked in between his labored breaths.

"We're in the field just ways away from Sol Divina. We're still not safe. Are you alright, Demyx?" Roxas looked over to the archer.

Demyx leaned his back against the tree and slumped down, bleeding severely.

"Demyx!" Riku ran over to help him up.

"He got me… I never thought Lexaeus would…" Demyx gasped, taking in sharp breaths.

"There should be enough water here. Hang in…" Roxas raised his flute to his lips.

"No!" Riku hissed. "Don't, Roxas. The enemies will notice us if you use your flute."

"But, Demyx is…" Roxas frowned.

"I will distract the enemies. Heal Demyx, Roxas."

"You traitor. You're asking us to believe you? After what you have done?! It's you, isn't it? The crimson general that kills everything within sight. I knew my suspicions are right!" Riku yelled, angered.

"Roxas, I will go ahead and distract the enemies. Run far away and seek sanctuary."

"Axel…" Roxas bit his lower lip. "But…"

"I'll be alright," Axel gave a confident grin. "I'm an old man after all. I won't die that easy, boy."

Roxas shook his head. "I can't believe you can still joke around at times like this… Axel, listen to me carefully. There is a village called Sol Divicia where my brother resides. We will head there. It is located south east from here. You won't be able to see where it is… but, locate a field of flowers and I will tell Ven to open the barriers for you," he took Axel's hand and stared deeply into the redhead's eyes. "Promise me that we'll meet there."

Riku scoffed. "I hope you die, traitor."

Demyx panted, pale, watching.

"Promise me." Roxas squeezed Axel's hand.

Axel nodded then, squeezing Roxas' hand back reassuringly. "I promise," he smiled.

"Alright." Roxas let go of Axel's hand and raised the flute to his lips. He played a soothing melody on the flute and bubbles of water were extracted out of the leaves and grasses. The water headed for Demyx's direction, closing the wounds.

Demyx let out a gasp and he released a relieved sigh. "That feels a lot better. Thanks, Roxas," he grinned goofily, still pale.

"I heard melodies!"

Axel nodded once to Roxas and then dashed away. He exposed himself to the soldiers and led them to another direction, buying time for Roxas and the others to run away.

Sol Divicia… the promised village.

--

"Quick!"

The forests' stillness was soon disturbed by all the ruckus. The soldiers were unrelenting, chasing after him mercilessly, determined to take his head back to the King.

Axel kept running, dashing forward, not once looking back, praying that Roxas and the others made it to Sol Divicia safely. Amidst the panic, he stumbled to a tree branch and fell down, ankle trapped in between the ivy and thorny branches. He took in a shrill gasp as the soldiers closed in on him…

Was it really the end of him?

The soldiers smirked. One of them stepped forward and raised his blade, ready to plunge the sharp tip down and send the crimson general to his eternal doom, where he would never see the light again.

Axel closed his eyes, giving in…

At least, he hoped Roxas would send him away to a peaceful land where he could rest without anyone to disturb him. He needed much rest and sleep.

"_Promise me." _

… He had promised.

With a sharp tug, he freed himself from the tree branch. His ankle bled profusely from the action. Limping, he stood back and with his trusty chakrams at his side, he killed the soldiers one by one and ran away once again.

--

Just a little more… a couple of steps… he had to make it there, to Sol Divicia. He had promised him. And he wouldn't break his promise, at least not to him.

His vision was beginning to blur away from him. The world was spinning at a tremendous rate in his eyes. Blood oozed out of his skull, to his eyes, taking away more of his vision. He panted, trying to suck in as much breath as he could. His throat and lungs were giving up on him. His whole bodily functions were giving in.

Each step he took sucked his life away.

He was about to give in.

No, he was going to give in.

The arrow at his back, the betrayal…

The injuries… the wounds…

"Roxas…"'

The flower field… there… just a little more.

--

"_Please, please be okay…"_

--

"Hunh…" He slowly moved his fingers, eyes fluttering open, adjusting to the light. He blinked once and twice and took in a deep breath, but ended up groaning in pain.

"?!"

"Uh… Ro…xas…" the redhead mouthed, unable to find his own voice. His throat was dry.

"You're awake… Hey, hang in there. Don't force yourself to speak!"

"Ro…xas?"

"No, I'm not Roxas. But I'm sure Roxas will be ecstatic to see that you're alright! Hang in there, I'll go and get him."

Axel shook his head slowly. What was that person talking about? Wasn't he Roxas?... he sure looked like Roxas. Or were his eyes fooling him?

"Oh God… Axel!"

Axel saw the boy ran up to him.

"You… you're okay!"

And he felt a single drop of tear at his fingertips.

And he went back to slumber again, feeling tired and at the same time, relieved.

--

He didn't know how long he had slept. But he was woken up by the fresh and sweet scent of vanilla. He tilted his head to the side to find the mess of golden hair before him. "Roxas?" he whispered silently.

He could feel the small, warm hand against his. And he smiled weakly. Had Roxas been staying by his side all the time he was unconscious? How long had it been? He tried to not breathe so that he didn't wake the priest up. He tried his best to hold his breath in, however, his lungs gave up on him and he coughed and had to take in a deep breaths. He prayed to all the deities above that he didn't just wake the boy up.

To his relieve, he didn't. He could feel the slow, steady breathing of the boy's against his numbed shoulder. He breathed in the scent of the priest's hair. Everything about him was so comforting… he couldn't help but be entranced. Was it wrong for him to have feelings over Roxas?

He stared at the white ceiling. The area was illuminated by bright lights. He wondered slightly where the source of light came from. And then, he wondered where he was. Well, if Roxas was with him. He should have reached Sol Divicia, right?

The soothing voice of water calmed him, acting as a lullaby or a nursery rhyme even.

"Hunhh…" Roxas shifted, slowly coming to consciousness. The boy sat up and rubbed his eyes like a child.

Axel watched with a smile.

And the boy yawned softly, two drops of tears oozed out from the corner of his eyes.

Axel chuckled then.

"Huh?" Roxas' eyes went wide and then those cerulean eyes finally noticed the conscious redhead. "Axel! You're awake!"

Axel nodded and smiles weakly. "Eyes wide, Roxas," he whispered, finding his throat very dry, grinning cockily.

"You're feeling thirsty?"

"Yeah," Axel nodded, trying to swallow but finding his mouth as dry as a desert.

Roxas hummed and then took out his flute, playing a short melody. Bubbles of water appeared and went into Axel's opened mouth, refreshing the redhead's throat. "Feeling better?"

"Much better," Axel replied, voice still hoarse, throat still sore. "Thanks."

"No, thank _you_, Axel. Without you, we wouldn't have made it here alive."

"No, without me, Sol Divina wouldn't…"

"That friend of yours found a way to weaken my barricade and infiltrate the village. It's my fault."

"But… then, how did I enter the village?"

"I let you in. And also that friend of yours since he's following your shadow."

"Why did you… let me in?"

Roxas smiled then. "You just have to ask a lot of question if time permits, huh? But I can't answer you right now. I will when it's appropriate. You need to rest and recuperate, Axel." He breathed a sigh of relieve. "I am so glad you're safe and awake."

"I promised," Axel tried to grin.

"You were in a really horrible state."

"Thanks, Roxas."

Roxas chuckled. "No problem."

"How long was I out?"

"About a couple of weeks."

"Wow, that long?"

"Yeah…"

It was silent as Roxas watched Axel closely.

"Axel… my next dance will be in three days. Do you think… you can make it and come see? I really want you to be there."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "I'll recuperate as soon as I can," he offered a reassuring smile. "And come see your dance."

"Promise?"

"I'll promise as long as you promise not to push yourself too hard."

"I promise," Roxas smiled.

"Why do you want me there?" Axel asked out of curiosity.

"It will be my last dance," the boy smiled softly.

Axel sensed the sadness in the smile. "You mean, you'll be relieved of your job as a priest?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. For a while."

"Well, is that good news?"

"I think it is."

Axel smiled. "Great then, I'm happy for you. You can always dance if you want to, right? Even if you're not a priest anymore. I'd love to watch you dance anytime," he commented, honestly happy.

"Yeah…. Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Axel."

Axel nodded.

And they didn't talk anymore.

Somehow, Axel felt that something was wrong…

_Last dance._

--

The next day, when he tried to move, he went through a lot of pain. He could hear the cracks of his spine and see his bloated body. He felt a thousand pounds heavier that he was. "Wow…" he sighed, shaking his head, feeling his muscle joints came back to life again. His whole body was numbed. It was as if he woke up with a body made of radishes and vegetables. He was relieved that he didn't feel any pain from his neatly bandaged wounds. He tried opening one bandage and found out that his wounds were almost completely healed, only little scars here and there.

That was great. He wanted to at least be able to protect Roxas in case something happened again.

"I see you are up. No wonder he's wondering about," there was a small chuckle.

Axel looked over to the door to find Roxas. "Good morning, Rox," he smiled.

Roxas grinned, raising his eyebrows amusedly.

Axel blinked. He had never really seen Roxas grinning as such before.

"Do you love me, Axel?"

"Huh, what?" the redhead's jaw dropped open, his cheeks took over the light shade of pink.

"You have been protecting me and I really like you. I really wanted to know how you feel," Roxas said, very calm and natural.

"Uhmm… I… That was…"

Roxas laughed out loud then. "Your face is priceless!!!" he continued laughing.

"What? Hey, it's not funny!"

He laughed some more before calming himself down. "Take it easy there. I'm not Roxas."

"Huh?"

"Ventus, nice to meet you, Axel," he nodded.

"You're not Roxas?"

Ven shook his head. "I am Roxas' brother. Twin brother, also a priest," he smiled.

Roxas and Ven looked the same, almost as if they were clones of each other.

"Why so surprised? This is what it's called to be twins, doofus."

"Doofus?"

Ven nodded. "Doofus," he smirked.

"So uh… where's Roxas?"

"What are you going to do about Roxas?" Ven asked, expression serious.

"What do you mean?"

"For the last three and a half week Roxas was here, he has been talking about you non-stop. He stayed by your side all the time, making sure that you didn't die when you fell so deeply into the unconsciousness, giving you the nutrition and water you need. I've never seen him this worried about someone before."

"Roxas did all that?"

"And while _you_ gained weight_, _Roxas lost his weight," Ven remarked sarcastically with a laugh.

"Oh…"

"Don't feel guilty, just yet. You'll have your share of guilt burdening down upon you in the near time. But anyway, sad story aside, glad you're ok."

"Thanks."

"I'm sure Roxas will be eager to meet you. He should be in the kitchen, preparing porridge for you as usual. Go see him."

"If I can figure out where the kitchen is…"

"It's just right down the hallway, at the corner. You can't miss it. See you later, doofus. Treat my brother well… or _else_."

Axel blinked for a couple of times. Despite having the same face and appearances… their personalities sure were very different.

Watching the blond left the room, he moved his fingers, feeling the muscles again. Then, he stood up and slowly made his way to the kitchen.

--

He could hear small sweet hums coming from the direction of the kitchen. He peeked inside to find the boy. This time he was sure that it was Roxas. He didn't know why he was sure… but he just was. And so, he stalked inside and peeked over the unknowing boy's shoulder. "Chicken porridge?" he raised his eyebrows, whispering playfully in the boy's ears.

Roxas jumped and turned 180 at the source of the voice. He released a small yip. "Axel! Don't scare me like that!" he protested, clutching his heart, blushing.

Axel laughed humorously. "I see that the priest can cook," he smiled.

"Of course I can. Who did you think gave you food over the three weeks?"

Axel sighed then, disappointed. "I wish I were conscious, I didn't even know what happened. All your good food gone waste…"

Roxas laughed. "Don't go all sob on me now. At least you're up and about!" He said as he scooped the porridge into a small bowl. "Here," he handed it over to Axel with a spoon. "Careful, it's hot."

"Smells good," Axel smiled.

"It's nothing too fancy," Roxas then sat down on a chair, followed by the redhead.

"You've gotten thinner…" Axel stared.

"And you've gotten fatter," Roxas chuckled.

"Aren't you going to eat too?"

"Later in the afternoon. I'm not used to eating so early in the day," the boy replied, watching the redhead eat.

Axel ate the hot porridge slowly. Scoop after scoop.

"This means you'll be able to come to the ceremony, right?" Roxas smiled.

Axel nodded. "Of course. I'll find a way to watch you dance even if it kills me."

"I can't have you dying on me. That will be one more soul to send."

"I'll try not to," Axel joked. "So… this is Sol Divicia?"

Roxas nodded. "Right. So much different than Sol Divina, right? This is the capital of the Priests and Priestesses. My brother's friend, Aqua is the leader for now. The power shifts between Doctor Terra, my twin Ventus, and the Priestess Aqua as time pass."

"Power shift? Why's that?"

Roxas thought for a minute. "Oh, it's just how it goes here. Have you met Ventus? I'll introduce you to him!"

"I have definitely met him. He got some attitude," the redhead grinned.

"Ven is so lovable."

Axel laughed. "Everything here is made from stone, huh?"

"And water," Roxas nodded. "Sol Divina is merely a small village built out of tents."

"Sol Divina… I…"

"Stop saying sorry. It's in the past now. Riku and Demyx are safe and sound. And you and me too. Always lamenting on the past is a sign that you're getting old, Axel."

Axel laughed again. "Right, O Wise One."

The both laughed happily then.

--

Unfortunately... this fic will be discontinued. D: Sad to say, but I can't write anymore!

...

APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!! :D Well, that was a lame joke, moving on, guys. Next chapter will be updated tomorrow. After that... eh, I don't have anything in my computer anymore so I will have to write some more.


	6. Reborn

Enjoy~ without further ado.

**Chapter 6**

**Reborn**

"Hey, AXEEELLLLL!!!" Demyx waved, screamed, and jumped ecstatically from afar, in the center of the building, near the small fountain made of stone.

"Does he have to scream and wave like that?" Axel paused in his track.

"That's Demyx for you," Roxas chuckled. "You'll miss him when he's not around."

"Have you gone out with him?" Axel inquired, curious.

Roxas hummed, thinking. "I would say no. I went out with him for a day, but it was a more brotherly kind sort of thing. Why? You're interested in Demyx?" he teased. "I can try to hook you up with Demyx, you know."

"No thanks. Old man's interested with someone else."

Roxas grinned, raising his eyebrows. "Oh, I see. Old man's getting pervy!" he laughed, hitting Axel's arm.

"Kid..." Axel laughed too. But Roxas was right… he did get pervy… over Roxas' neck.

…

Let's drop that one.

…

And the two walked over to the crazed archer. "You seem to be A-OK!!!"

"I'm better. How are you doing yourself, Demyx?"

"I am FINEEEE!!!" Demyx grinned. "My injuries cannot compare to yours."

"Well, glad to hear," Axel chuckled.

"Oh, I see the moron's up and about."

And there it was… the annoying dark voice that belonged to no other than Riku.

"Hello, Riku." Roxas smiled and waved.

"Hey, Roxas," the silveret nodded, mirroring the smile.

Axel raised his eyebrows. The silveret could actually _smile_. That was an interesting discovery.

"How are you feeling, Moron?"

Axel sure didn't remember changing his name when he was unconscious. Wait, maybe some evil force decided to change his name into Moron Doofus. First name, Moron. Last name, Doofus. Reporting for work, sir.

"I'm feeling much better. Up and about."

"Awesome!" Demyx cheered.

"I thought I just told you that…"

Roxas laughed.

"That's good to hear," Riku commented flatly and walked away.

"I honestly can't imagine you ever going out with him, Roxas."

"Riku is really sweet, you know! At least towards Roxas," Demyx grinned.

"Well, the dating part was awkward still. Riku's an ok person," the boy looked at Axel. "I do wonder what it would be like to go out with this person I'm currently interested in though," he smiled, looking at Axel while saying all that.

Axel was slightly red.

Did Roxas mean him?

--

"Another starless night, huh?" Axel questioned, joining the stargazing blond.

Roxas craned his neck to the side. "Oh Axel. Yeah. Another starless night," he nodded. "No one has danced for the deaths yet and it's been nearly a month. That's why I need to dance soon. To bring the stars back to the night again."

"To bring the stars back…" Axel whispered, sitting down beside the boy.

"Yeah…"

"What are the priests and priestesses jobs, really?"

Roxas smiled. "Easy. To be used as a medium to send souls to the afterworld and to keep the balance between the dead and the alive in the world. We achieve that through the ceremony, performing the dance of the dead. In my case, flute and melody is my medium."

"And… also the souls' medium?"

"No, the souls' medium is always the body. Priests and priestesses need mediums to be able to connect to those souls."

"I love your flute and your melody," Axel smiled.

"Thanks."

"What about other priests' and priestesses'?"

"Well, Aqua's medium is water. She communicates to the souls through the purity of the water. While I can only connect through the souls using my flute and melodies, connecting to the water, and then to the souls. For Ven, it's a small harp. You should listen to Ven's harp. It's so amazing. So much better than my flute."

Axel smiled. "I know that I'll like your flute better anyway," he said with sincerity in his voice.

"You're flattering me, Axel. And I know this priestess once, named Naminé. She uses crayons and sketches as mediums. All of us have to connect to the water somehow which would directly link to the souls."

"That's really interesting…"

Roxas nodded. "I guess so."

"And your dance is amazing. How long did it take you to learn?"

Roxas laughed nervously. "You don't wanna know. A long, long time is my answer. I have to practice it again and again until I reached 18."

"Must be a lot of work. Sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault. There is no need to be sorry."

"Roxas…" Axel turned to look at the blond, taking his eyes away from the sky.

Roxas turned to look at Axel. The two stared at one another. "Yes?"

Axel was really tempted to feel those pale rosy colored lips. He really wanted to feel them against his own lips. He wondered what it would feel like. He was closing in. However, he paused then, raising his arm to pat Roxas' head. "Keep up the good work, kid."

Roxas was dumbfounded for a while. "Yeah sure, old man."

He missed the chance.

… no worries. He believed that he would have a lot of chances to kiss Roxas in the future. When they were officially together…

He couldn't wait… until Roxas was relieved of his priestly duty, he would tell Roxas about his feelings. And he would hope for the best. After all, the boy might have the same feeling for him too.

Just in two days…

--

He already felt fully recovered the next day. He was up early in the morning, carrying his chakrams around, trying to find a place to practice. However, soon he found himself getting lost in Sol Divicia. He wondered why people called the building a village. It was a huge palace made of bricks and polished stones and every one of the different races live there. He looked around, finding everything the same everywhere.

"Why hello. It's the patient. Good morning."

"You're… the doctor…" Axel tried hard to think of a name. "Sorry, your name escapes me."

Terra smiled. "It doesn't matter. I'm Terra. I see that you're almost fully recovered."

Axel nodded. "Thanks to you, of course."

"And of course, to Roxas, Ven, and Aqua. The priests and priestess helped in your recovery."

"I will take the time to thank them," Axel smiled.

"Well, I just hope that no soldiers will be able to find this place…"

Axel blinked. "Speaking of which… Zexion, who led the troop to destroy Sol Divina, said that he followed you and saw you disappeared in the field… So… he might have located the location of Sol Divicia…"

"You mean…"

"I'm sorry. I really don't want any of this to happen… but…" Axel looked away guiltily.

"Don't feel so gullible. We'll do something and relocate. And we have a priest and a priestess here powering the invisibility barrier. So, we should be safe for a while."

"Not for long… Zexion is witty. We should do something soon."

"Alright. Thanks for the information, Axel."

"Please don't thank me… After all, I'm the one who brought on this problem to you all."

"I doubt that," Terra smiled softly. "Even if you're not involved, I have a feeling that we won't be able to hide from the enemies for long anyway. So, you are a general, correct?"

"Unwillingly. Yeah."

"And you decided to side with us because…?"

Axel didn't answer.

"Roxas?"

Axel smiled and nodded. "I suppose so. Yeah."

"Well, glad to hear then," Terra walked over and rested his hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Stay strong. For Roxas," he whispered and then walked away.

Axel frowned the slightest bit, but then shrugged his discomfort away.

"Oh, go to the hallway to your right from where you are facing now and Roxas' room is located at the end. He will give you a tour around."

"But…"

Before Axel could voice his complaints, Terra was already gone. He wasn't looking for Roxas… he was looking for a place to practice and get back to shape. He could feel his stomach bulging through his cloak. He never felt so fat before and he could feel that his muscles had turned into fat over the past weeks. He shivered at the thought. Well, he'd better go over to Roxas and ask him about a place to practice and get some exercise.

He knocked softly at the last door, one hand holding his pair of chakrams. "Roxas?" he called.

No answer.

He knocked again and called softly.

And no answer.

Once again.

No answer.

He was about to walk away. He didn't want to wake or bother Roxas. But then, as he was about to turn around, the silver colored door opened. Roxas was dressed messily in his oversized pajama, rubbing his eyes like a child, hugging a small plush. Axel blinked, grinning like crazy. The boy looked too adorable in his eyes. And the plushie, it was a small milky cow with black spots.

Roxas yawned some more, his small hands showing from his oversized pajama sleeve. "Axel?" he called out softly.

"Good morning, baby Roxas," Axel joked.

"I'm not a baby…" Roxas answered softly, giving a small smile. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he questioned, eyes half closed.

"You're really tired? I'm sorry I wake you up. Please go back to sleep."

"Nah, I'm okay…" Roxas replied again, voice higher pitched than usual.

Axel found it super cute. He really wanted to glomp, hug, and squish the boy. He could barely hold himself. The just-waken up Roxas was totally different from the usual smart mouthed and cheerful priest.

"Wanna come inside?" Roxas drawled lazily, eyes finally opened wide.

"Sorry for bothering you."

"No, it's ok. I like to wake up and see you in front of my door," the boy smiled sweetly. "Come in and close the door," he walked inside.

Axel followed from behind, closing the door as Roxas had instructed.

"Sorry I'm a mess," Roxas spoke softly and shoved the cow plushie to Axel's hand. "His name is Moo," he grinned cheerfully.

Axel laughed, squishing the plushie. "How old are you, Roxas?"

"I am forever young," the priest remarked smartly. "I love Moo. Ven gave it to me. So, love him, okay?"

Axel laughed some more. "Sure, I will. You're a lucky cow, Moo," he nodded firmly at the plush. "Being loved by Roxas."

Roxas chuckled. "Are you jealous of Moo?"

"You can say I am," Axel nodded.

The boy smiled. "So, what's the occasion of your presence here? Carrying weapons too. You're trying to assassinate the priest?"

Axel shook his head immediately. "Of course not, I wouldn't do that!"

Roxas smiled. "I'm just kidding, Axel. So, what's going on?"

"I just want to find a place to practice and exercise. I need to get back into shape."

Roxas laughed, pointing at Axel's stomach. "You have a bulging stomach now! Thanks to me!" he exclaimed proudly.

Axel laughed. "Right. Thanks to you. And you should eat a lot. C'mon. Take me out of here and I'll pick up some fruits in the woods for you."

"Right now? But I still want more sleep…" Roxas went back to his bed, snuggling into his pillow. Axel whistled at the size of the bed and the amount of plushies lined up on the bed head.

"Aww, c'mon, Roxas. It's already morning. Let's go spend some time together," Axel persuaded.

"Spend some time together? Sounds fun to me. Okay. Give me some time to take a bath." Roxas got up from his bed, hair spiking everywhere wildly.

"Sure."

--

Axel danced in the grass field, swinging his chakrams in the air. He twirled the weapons and dashed up to slice a green apple down. "Here, Rox." He threw the apple to the boy.

Roxas caught it easily and cleaned the fruit using his sleeves before taking a bite. "It's a bit sour," he said as he took another bite.

Axel swung his chakrams wildly, jumping from branches to branches. While the priest sat down on the grasses and ate the fruits Axel gathered. It didn't take Axel too long to return and sit down beside the boy, panting and sweating profusely. "I'm really… out of shape," he panted, saying in between his labored breaths.

"Fatso!" Roxas grinned teasingly, elbowing the redhead, taking another bite at his apple.

"Hey, I am not!" Axel denied.

"Oh really?" Roxas poked Axel's stomach.

Axel blushed.

The both laughed.

"I can't sleep last night…" Roxas started.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I only slept for two hours when you knocked on my door."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. It's nice to have you around," Roxas smiled sweetly, looking at the half bitten apple he was holding.

"Why can't you sleep, if you don't mind me asking? Oh, is it because of tomorrow?"

Roxas nodded slowly. "I'm nervous. No matter how many times, I still am."

"It's alright," Axel smiled and wrapped his arm around Roxas' shoulder, pulling him in close, hoping that Roxas wouldn't push him away. "It's going to be fine. I promise you. I have something to tell you after the ceremony."

Roxas' face paled. "You… have something to tell me after the…?"

Axel was relieved that Roxas didn't push him away. "Yeah. Something very important that I want you to know."

Roxas tensed and released a sigh. "Alright then, I look forward to it," he nodded, enjoying the redhead's warmth, resting his head on Axel's shoulder. "If you don't get a chance to say it… promise to tell me when you have the chance?"

Axel was silent for a while. "Of course. I promise, Roxas." And he inhaled the smell of Roxas' shampoo.

"You know those chakrams you're using?"

"Oh these?"

"Yeah," Roxas nodded. "They belonged to my mother. She has long passed away. She's always very agile with the chakrams. And you wielded the chakrams perfectly with very high agility and skill."

"Oh, it's your mom's? I'm sorry. Should I return them?"

"No, I want you to have them. And Ven said so too. I want you to take care of them, alright?"

"I will, Roxas. Thanks for entrusting them to me."

"Thank you."

They stayed like that for a bit before heading back.

--

It thundered and stormed heavily at night. Axel tossed in his bed, trying to sleep and block the noises away with his pillows. He had to go to sleep soon in order to have full energy to watch Roxas' performance tomorrow. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he could hear small thuds that disappeared after a while. He thought he was just imagining things, but then he noticed that somebody was knocking on his door. He got up with a small groan and opened the door to discover the boy standing before him. "Roxas?" he raised his eyebrows.

The boy was shaking before him, hugging a cow plush close. "C-Can I come inside?" he asked in a terrified voice.

"Of course! What happened?" the redhead asked worriedly, letting the blond in and closing the door.

Roxas walked over and sat down on Axel's bed. He let out a silent cry as the sky thundered. Axel ran over and held the boy's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You hand's so cold…"

"I hate the storm…" Roxas whispered. "I'm sorry… I wanted to go to someone else's room… but…" he hid his face to his plushy.

"No. It's ok. You're afraid of the thunder?"

"No, I'm not afraid. I just hate it!" Roxas said firmly. "D-Do you want me to go away?"

"No, of course not," Axel gave a gentle smile. "Would you like to stay here and sleep beside me?" he offered.

Roxas nodded shakily, biting his lower lip.

"Alright then, Roxas. It will be ok," Axel sat down beside the boy, holding the blond close. "It will be fine…"

Roxas nodded slowly, fisting the front of Axel's shirt, burying his face into the redhead's chest.

--

The morning that Axel woke up, he found himself all alone on the what-seemed-like a majestic bed. He reached around, trying to find that little boy he had grown used to, only to find the pillows and a cow plushie. "Roxas?" he called out with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and sat up, raking his hair, stretching, yawning. He looked out to the window to find a bright morning. Roxas must be already up and about.

He wore his slippers and got out of his bed, preparing himself for the day, washing his face.

"Oh right… today's the ceremony," he blinked to his reflection on the mirror and then, he quickly made his way out of his room.

Roxas' big day.

--

He walked to the fountain. The whole building was silent, but he could feel pairs of eyes staring at him from behind closed doors. Must be the females who weren't allowed inside the ceremonial site. Axel found the gender discrimination rather disturbing, not that it didn't happen in his country, in fact it was even worse than how they treated women in Sol Divicia.

He approached one of the doors and knocked on it. He waited for a little bit before a small girl opened the door, seemingly afraid, looking at the floor instead of at Axel. "Y-Yes?" she asked with a very soft voice.

Axel smiled. "I want to know the ceremonial site. Can you tell me?"

"It's near the throne…"

"Why don't you come with me to the ceremony?"

The little girl's eye went big. She finally looked up at Axel. "But, we're not allowed. We'll be punished!"

"Who will punish you?"

"T-The souls… Mommy said that we are not pure and if we go to the ceremony, the souls will be angry and they would kill us!" the girl said worriedly.

Axel blinked a couple of times.

"Rania, what is going on?"

"Oh, granny. Somebody is here, asking us about the ceremony."

"Oh… Sir, is something wrong?" an elderly woman stepped out to the light, looking at the redhead.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's quite alright."

"I'm wondering where the ceremony site is."

"Oh, you must be one of the refuges. The site is right under the fountain. There is a button near the fountain that will operate the elevator and bring you underground, to the throne."

"Oh…"

"Today is the final ceremony for priest Roxas, isn't it?"

"I guess so, yeah…"

"Poor boy… well, get going, young man. Or you'll miss it."

"Alright," Axel nodded. "Thanks a lot!"

"It's no problem," the elderly woman smiled.

Axel headed to the ceremony site.

--

He breathed a sigh of relieve once he knew that he arrived right on time. His eyes met with the boy's and he smiled. The boy mirrored his smile, this time wearing an elegant golden colored robe. Axel thought that the color suited the boy. Of course, Axel thought that every color made Roxas stood out in his eyes.

Roxas was already holding his flute, standing at the side, about to enter the area in the middle of the waterfall where he was supposed to dance. The ceremonial site in Sol Divicia looked almost similar to the one in Sol Divina. The only difference was that the one in Sol Divicia didn't have a dark cavern that stretched out to the back of the waterfall.

Axel watched the small boy speaking with Terra and Ven, and then the twin hugged one another longingly. The redhead tilted his head to the side, wondering what was up with the sad face. Roxas was just going to stop being a priest for a while, right? Shouldn't be… that bad?

Then the boy's eyes met his and he saw the small tears rolling down the side of those golden hair framed face. He knew that the boy forced his smile. He wanted to get close to the boy, give Roxas a hug or something… Comfort him… Do something…

But the ceremony was starting and Roxas walked into the water, submerging halfway to the water and emerging to the land, water dripping off his legs and robe. The water mixed and mingled with Roxas' tears. And Roxas gave a genuine smile directed at the redhead.

Little did Axel know that was the last beautiful smile that he would ever see from Roxas in a while…

Axel returned the smile and nodded.

Roxas began producing soothing melodies from his wooden bamboo. And the water closed in on him. He began dancing merrily, an action that Axel had never seen before in the last two ceremonies.

"Do you know? Today is Roxas' birthday."

Axel raised his eyebrows and looked at the source of the voice. "Oh, really?" he grinned. Roxas' birthday… Oh shoot, he must do something for the boy. But what…?

Ven nodded. "Yeah…"

"Well, it's your birthday too, right? Cheer up," Axel patted Ven's head like a father would.

Ven slapped the redhead's hand away. "Don't. Do. That," he hissed.

Axel's eyes went wide. "… sorry, I didn't know you would…"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm overreacting…"

"Well, we'll do something about you and Roxas' birthday tonight," Axel gave a small smile.

"… There is no need to," Ventus looked away. "I just want to let you know that today is Roxas' birthday. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's my birthday too."

"Aren't you two twins?"

"… Roxas made me promise to not tell before the time. When the time is right, Axel… you will know," Ventus smiled bitterly.

Axel shrugged. "Alright then. I wonder what I should do for Roxas."

Ventus watched the redhead's expression closely.

Axel's eyes were set on the dancing priest. The melody echoed in the air and every attention was focused on Roxas. And the souls began gathering around Roxas, blending in with the force of the water.

The redhead frowned when he noticed that the souls and water were as if attacking Roxas… They were almost violent in Axel's eyes… But… that should be normal, right? Since no one spoke a word about it…

"This… doesn't seem right…" he whispered.

And before he could look over to Ventus, he heard Roxas' flute clunking against the floor and suddenly, the flute burst in searing and blazing flames and soon, the water turned into sea of flames.

He gasped. "Roxas!" he shouted, immediately dashing to where the Ritual of Death was held. However, he couldn't get through the wall of flames, the only way to get to the priest.

He was repelled by the walls. They were as if barriers, preventing him from going in.

He used his chakrams to slash through the walls, but it was of no use.

And then, he stopped, realizing that everybody else present was calm, acting as if what was happening was more than normal.

What was happening?....

--

It felt as if eternity had passed since the flame started blazing. Axel watched, unable to do anything. He gasped when a hand rested on his shoulder.

"It's going to be alright, Axel…" Ventus said calmly, kneeling beside Axel. "It's happening… again…"

"Again?"

"Reincarnation. Roxas' soul has already decayed. He can't be used as a medium anymore… So, he will be reincarnated with a new soul into a new vassal."

"What are you…"

"It's the fate of a priest. You dance until your soul gives up on you. And you're reborn with the same fate. When you turn eighteen, you will remember everything about your past and you will have to do the same thing again…"

Before Axel could react to Ventus' cold explanation, the fire finally ceased and it opened up to a sight of a small crying baby, wrapped in an oversized golden robe and a flute of crimson color lying near the baby.

The baby's soft whimpers and cries rang through the silence.

Axel slowly got up to his legs and hesitantly approached the baby. Ven followed behind the redhead.

Axel took in deep breaths and stood, hovering over the baby, shadowing the small creation. He swallowed. And the baby opened his eyes slowly, revealing a pair of beautiful baby blue.

The redhead knelt down and scooped the baby into his arms, feeling the lightness of the weight. A tear rolled down his eyes. "Roxas…?" he called out hoarsely.

The baby stopped crying and began to giggle, reaching out with his small fingers, touching Axel's cheek.

…Roxas…

"_The Priest has been reborn."_

--

Honestly, I was surprised by the 7 reviews that I got yesterday. (: It's been a while. :D especially since I've gotten used to 2-3 reviews per chapter. Of course, the more the merrier. Anyway, thanks a lot everyone! Means a lot to me. You guys are awesome! And I'm not just saying that. Chapter 7 is coming along well, so it might be posted tomorrow. I'll keep you guys updated.

Hope you enjoyed.

Have a good day.


	7. Doubts and Hope

**Chapter 7**

**Doubts and Hope**

Axel smashed his fists against the wall repeatedly—anger, anguish, and rejection swimming, dominating his emotions. He let out a cry and slumped down against the wall, feeling the overwhelming emotions. Roxas was taken away from him. Ventus explained that Roxas would be taken to the incubation area where the priests and priestesses were raised with ample supply of food and nutrition.

"_They will grow up into healthy priests and priestesses with good souls…"_ Ven explained coldly.

"You knew all along, Roxas… you knew, but you never told me…" Axel hid his face in between his knees, taking in deep breaths.

"And… I…"

All the redhead wanted was to merely tell Roxas three simple words, but Roxas didn't give him the chance.

"_Don't you know Axel…? Ignorance is bliss…"_

But he wanted to know… If he had known, he would do something to help… he would…

He didn't know what he would do if he had known…

How selfish…

--

For the whole day, Sol Divicia was shrouded in a state of mourning. The whole city was filled with silence. And the very next day, everything was back to as it was before—as if nothing happened—as if Roxas had never existed to begin with.

Axel found it sickening.

He walked through the hallways that led him to the center of the building. He sighed and sat down near the fountain, putting his arm on one of his knee and staring up to the ceiling. He wondered what Roxas would say if he saw him like this. The boy would possibly laugh at him for looking and acting so old.

He looked straight ahead and found the golden haired boy. Roxas!... No wait… that couldn't be Roxas. It was Ventus… He got up from where he was sitting and ran over to Ven. "Ven," he called.

"Oh, it's you. Feeling better?" Ventus asked, slight worry in his voice.

"Much… better," Axel forced a smile. "Can I… can I see Roxas?"

"The incubation area is off limits to anyone that's not relatives. I'm sorry, Axel."

"No, please. Please let me see Roxas… just once… I need to…" the redhead pleaded, face pale due to the lack of sleep.

Ven released a breathy sigh. "You've involved yourself too deep, huh?"

"Ven… please… I… when Roxas said that he would be relieved of his priestly duty, I thought that he would lead a life that every normal teenager would. And I have planned all kinds of things for him. Take him out for a walk—I just want to see him smile. I don't want him to be all gloomy because he's caged… because everybody sees him as some tool—because he's the priest. I—I don't know what I'm talking about. I promised myself that I would tell him my feelings after the ceremony and now… he's a baby… and…" Axel shook his head, desperate, blurting out nonsense.

"Do you remember everything that Roxas told you?"

"What?..."

"Think about it, Axel."

"Please… I will give up once I've seen him. I will leave this place and you will never see me again," Axel tried once more, trying to persuade the person who had the same face as the one he fell so deep for.

"… So that's your decision?... alright. I will take you there… Follow me, Axel." Ven walked ahead, followed by the redhead.

Axel followed, hesitant. "I will leave tomorrow… early morning. I promise you, Ventus."

"Alright," Ven nodded, grim and disappointed.

--

Axel grew sick of the silence. The only thing he could hear coursing through the air was their footsteps…that, and his racing heartbeat. He didn't know what to do. Why did he even want to see Roxas that had turned into a baby? What was the point? It would only hurt more… he would only be more disappointed to know that he was unable to do anything and he doubted that he would be able to do anything then.

The incubation room was white… White brick walls, white tiled floors, white beds, white cribs, white sheets—everything was blinding white. Even plushies and baby toys were white… shouldn't babies' world be colorful instead of merely white? Axel couldn't comprehend what the people there was thinking. And he wouldn't even begin to try.

Maybe they were trying to force the idea of 'purity' to those babies…?

All the babies were placed in cribs which were labeled with names. Axel immediately made out the word 'Roxas' without a single effort. It was as if his eyes were led to the word. He looked all around from afar—there were some empty cribs, but everything was labeled properly and neatly with white paper. Namine, Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, Olette, Sora, Kairi, Marluxia…

"So, these cribs are all…"

"They belong to the priests and priestesses. Once their souls are exhausted, they will be brought to their sanctuary and safety here, in this incubation room. These cribs are reserved for them."

"So… it's like a reserved inn, is that it?" Axel commented, narrowing his eyes, not liking ant of what he was seeing at all.

Ventus chose to ignore Axel's comment. "They will stay here for a year, until they are able to walk and then they will be sent away to be adopted by the villages. The village's elders are responsible to take care of the priests and priestesses. They have to do everything they can in order to keep the priests and priestesses' purity and they have the responsibility to train them to dance and to use their instruments—in a way… they have to be conditioned so that they may carry out their responsibility as soon as they can remember—as soon as they are eighteen years old…" Ventus explained.

"So they are all brought here? All of them…?"

"Yes, Sol Divicia is the capital. And there is only one incubation room…"

"But then, what if the enemies…"

"Ah yes, Terra has informed me about that. Certainly, there will be a lot of troubles involved if we are to move away to another place… but nothing that cannot be handled. If all else comes to fail, we will summon all priests and priestesses to come back to the capital and protect Sol Divicia."

"I see. I apologize for the forthcoming danger that I have brought forth."

"You don't seem apologetic at all," Ventus released a grim chuckle.

"..." Axel remained silent, staring straight ahead, at the blue sky that was artificially created to fool the babies… So, that was the fate of the priests and priestesses. They were used as tools… as means to others' ends. They were trained—conditioned so that they may carry out their duties appropriately and they sacrificed their lives and souls in order to protect the living beings in this world. Protect… Was it really? "Hey, Ven…"

"Yes?"

"What will happen if the balance of the world is disturbed?"

"…huh?"

"I remember Roxas saying something about that. About keeping the balance of the world…"

"The balance of the world, huh?" Ven stared ahead, wondering, looking at the white curtains that were dancing with the wind. "I don't know for sure… but according to the story that was passed down through generations, once the number of souls are greater than the living bodies in the world—then the world itself will collapse and people will go insane…"

"In short, it's not going to be pretty?"

"Yeah…" Ven nodded, uncertain.

"You don't seem very sure about it."

"Well, of course. Nothing like that has ever happened before because us priests and priestesses are keeping it balanced, by sacrificing our souls."

"What's it like… knowing that after you die, you'll be reborn anyway…?" Axel asked carefully out of curiosity.

"It's worse than death itself…" Ven looked away.

Axel wanted to ask further. He couldn't seem to grasp why it was so hard for them to accept death when they had gone through it so many times. He knew that it would sound cruel when he voiced it out. He might never understand what the priests and priestesses were going through… after all, he was just a normal human being—once he died, he would perish… and he would be sent away by one of the priests and priestesses, leaving no trace of his own existence.

But, those priests and priestesses… once they die, they would be reborn and they would start anew again… but with the same fate… and from what Axel could gather, they couldn't live past twenty. That meant that… every time they were reborn—they were only really living for two years of their life—with full knowledge of their pasts.

"I wish I could do something to help…" Axel whispered.

"There really is nothing you could help with… you are an outsider after all. You shouldn't even know this much to begin with. But since Roxas trusted you… I guess I can trust you too. All I want is for Roxas to be happy."

"But then, what about yourself?"

"I'm fine on my own. Roxas is my baby brother. I care for him…"

Axel wanted to know why… why Ventus didn't die…why he wasn't reborn earlier or at the same time with Roxas… but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

It was as if he was saying that Roxas' life was more precious than Ventus'. That was indeed cruel and unnecessary. Everybody's life was important… no matter what—even those people that he had killed in the past, willingly or not. He knew enough when to keep his mouth shut—thanks to Roxas.

They kept watching the cribs from afar, watching the women who took care of the babies, fed them, and played with them.

Axel smiled when he saw Roxas. He could see the sweet, innocent smile in the golden haired baby's face, little hands reaching out for the bottle of milk. He reached forward, as if wanting to touch the baby, but he was too far away and he was blocked by the mirror. In addition, he knew that he would get into trouble if he did anything out of the norm.

"There's Roxas," Ventus smiled so cheerfully. "Do you want to go inside and say goodbye to him?" he turned to look at the redhead, having to crane his neck up because of the redhead and his height differences.

"A-Am I allowed?" Axel blinked a couple of times.

"If I say you are, then you are," Ventus smirked, cocky. That was one of the many things that Ventus was different than Roxas.

"Of course. I would love to…"

"I'm sure Roxas would get really snippy if he found out that you left him without a single word. We don't want that to happen."

"Yeah… don't want that to happen…" Axel released a soft sigh.

Then, Ven walked forward into the white room filled with cribs followed by the redhead. Axel looked around, finding many of the cribs empty. Only three or four babies were present.

The women who were feeding Roxas smiled at Ven. Ven mirrored the smile.

"How is he?" Ven asked, whispering softly.

"He has been crying a lot since he was taken here," the women said. "But just a second ago, he's calmed down some. I don't know why. But it's a relief—maybe he has finally gotten used to this area."

Ven scoffed, mocking. "Yeah, I'm sure he's gotten used to it."

Axel tilted his head to the side, wondering why Ven said that. But he soon dismissed his thoughts, too distracted by baby Roxas' big cerulean eyes to care. The redhead smiled so softly, not wanting the baby to be afraid of him—not wanting Roxas to find him intimidating.

The golden haired baby stopped eating and pushed away the bottle of milk and reached out, trying to touch Axel but was confined by the women's arms. He made small baby noises, as if trying to say something—but no one could understand him. He lied on his back on the woman's arms, kicking around, and reaching for the redhead.

Axel found Roxas too adorable. He blushed slightly. …Roxas.

"Looks like he's fond of you," the woman smiled. "You wanna try holding him?"

"Huh? Me?" Axel's eyes went wide, looking around, hoping that the woman was talking with somebody else.

Ventus watched closely, petting Roxas' head lovingly. "Yes you, doofus."

"But…" Axel's eyes went wider. "I… I never held babies before…" he looked left and right as if asking for someone to save him. He didn't want baby Roxas to be injured. Certainly not!

"Well, it's high time for you to learn," Ventus smirked. Then, he leaned in close to Axel's ear, whispering. "If Roxas lost even a single hair, you're dead."

Axel gulped. Finally, with the direction from the nanny, he took Roxas to his arms. The baby was definitely infatuated with the redhead's hair. He wouldn't stare away and kept trying to pull and tug on Axel's hair, giggling happily.

Axel laughed softly and let Roxas play with his hair.

He caught one of Roxas' little hands and fisted it in his hand. So small… and soft… he was in awe. This was his first time holding a baby. Roxas' face was so smooth and his skin tone was as pale as ever. That pair of big cerulean eyes were always so warm and full of curiosity—wandering around, catching everything in.

Axel held the baby close, like a protective father.

Father…

Maybe…

Maybe… what Roxas wanted all along was…

--

After making sure that baby Roxas was well taken care of and had fallen asleep, Ventus and Axel left the incubation room. The two walked back to the fountain in silence, each not having anything to talk about. Axel was too preoccupied to strike a conversation. There was so many things to think about in his mind that he thought his head was about to burst open.

One thing that randomly crossed his mind was how much time Ventus had got left. Was that even relevant?

"Did Roxas ever tell you about how if a priest or a priestess was reborn, other priests and priestesses age span would be prolonged?"

Axel's eyes went wide, he frowned slightly and shook his head. "No… I didn't know of any of that."

"That's how it is… the lives of the living priests and priestesses are prolonged with Roxas' death. His remaining life force was given to us… one is reborn into a baby—also in order to hibernate and rest until the soul is well rested."

"And you know all those all along?" Axel inquired, biting his upper lip.

"Yes… I…"

Axel curled his palms into fists, trying not to burst out in rage. "Why then?! Why didn't you stop him from doing his last dance?! Why are you so selfish? I thought he was your twin!"

"Watch your mouth, Axel!" Ventus hissed. "He still _is_ my twin! Forever will be, no matter how many times we are reborn. This is Roxas' decision!"

"You could have stopped him! _I_ would have stopped him if I had known! Why?! So you send Roxas to his doom in order to save your own ass?! For a couple more months? Years?! Sacrificing Roxas?!" Axel yelled, in rage, injustice filling his whole being.

"I said, _watch your mouth_, outsider!" Ventus roared. "You say that I am selfish?! Who's the one selfish now?! So you want every priests and priestesses to die before Roxas so that Roxas can take their life forces and have his life span prolonged?! It's a good thing we never told you anything!" he narrowed his eyes. "You would have killed us all in order to protect Roxas, you psychotic maniac!"

"N-no… I wouldn't… I wouldn't…" Axel backed away, realizing the grim subject that he was quarreling with.

"Roxas isn't the only one in pain!" Ventus took in shaky breaths. He released a yelp when a hand was placed on his shoulder and he immediately relaxed when he noticed that it a blue haired girl with Demyx standing behind her.

"Is everything alright, Ven?"

"No! This jerk!" Ven took his harp and played a single tune, summoning water that immediately assaulted the redhead, slapping him in the face.

Axel growled in annoyance and rage. "I didn't mean it like that, I… stop twisting my words!"

"You didn't mean it like that?! Yeah, right! Thanks! You've just proved to me that you're nothing but an ego-maniac! You don't deserve to be with Roxas! I shouldn't have taken you to see him just now!" With that, Ven threw his small harp at Axel, hitting the redhead in the stomach. The redhead groaned at the impact. Ventus stormed away in rage.

"Should I go after him?" Demyx asked, worried.

"I've… never seen Ventus _that_ enraged. We should probably leave him alone. I'll go after him later this evening when he has calmed down some," the blue haired girl said thoughtfully. She then turned her head to look at the wet redhead who was hugging the harp.

Axel narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and slumped down against the wall beside the fountain, staring blankly at the tiled floor. "I wouldn't do that…"

"Do what, if I may ask?" the girl knelt down on one knees so she was eye-level with the redhead, asking gently and softly with a smile.

"What did you do to Ven? I've tried pissing him off, but he's always so calm and cocky. Seeing his outburst like that is… whoa, dude," Demyx asked, amazed. "You must have touched a sensitive subject, didn't you?"

"…"

"Ah, you and your big mouth," Demyx laughed humorously.

"What are you thinking about, Demyx?"

"Ah yes, Goddess Aqua. This is not the first time this has happened. He hurt Roxas once too when we were still in Sol Divina. He accused Roxas of being selfish since Roxas didn't let him know anything, saying that Roxas acted pitiful in order to draw sympathy."

"I didn't say it like that!" Axel growled.

"But you did mean it like that," Riku came over, watching with hateful stare. "What did you say to Ventus now? That he's selfish for letting Roxas die? You think we all trust you? Why do you think we never let you know up until now? Because we didn't trust you. Roxas didn't even trust you. He specifically told us to never say a single word to you—not like we would tell anything to you anyway, crimson general," he commented, resentful. "Why do we tell you everything now? Because it's Roxas' last will. He wanted you to know."

Axel looked away in disgrace. "I don't need any of you to trust me. I just need Roxas to…"

"What are you?! Why do you think you can…"

"Enough!" Aqua roared. "That's enough for today, Riku. He doesn't know anything and he reacted accordingly. You can't blame him on everything. He doesn't know how everything works around here," she tried to reason.

Rikus scoffed. "I shall excuse myself," Then he walked away without saying another word.

"Dude… it's not like I want you to feel bad or anything. But you must understand. This is how things work around here. And you are in our territory. You can't say stuff like that if you want to continue to stay around here…" Demyx said, torn, feeling guilty.

"I'm leaving here early tomorrow morning," Axel said, whispering.

"You're leaving?" Aqua asked, as if confused.

Axel nodded. "Can you please give this back to Ventus and tell him my apologies? Tell him to not worry too…" he handed the harp over to Aqua.

"… alright, sure," Aqua nodded, although confused.

Axel closed his eyes. He wouldn't… he wouldn't kill off all of the priests and priestesses because of Roxas… or maybe he would… he didn't even know himself anymore. He killed all of those villagers mercilessly in the past. What was the guarantee that he wouldn't do what Ventus said? He was selfish. He wanted Roxas—he wanted to protect the boy.

He wanted to lend a hand—just as that man had to him.

--

He shivered in cold and fear, feeling the wind blowing against him, watching the tree waving its leafless branch, eerily saying goodbye to him. He could hear the moans of the wind… no doubt the souls were already gathered together, pleading to be freed. His village was attacked, all people that he know was killed… and it started raining.

The rain blended with his tears. He knelt down, surrendering, dead inside. He looked out to the dark sky blankly. Blood covered his small hands. His brother, his mother, his father's bodies were all lying dead in front of him. He was the only survivor.

He released a silent cry. Then, he screamed and cried, unable to hold in the tears anymore—either it was because of fear or because of intense sadness, he didn't know.

The rain didn't cease. The sky cried with him for his loss.

Standing up, he made his way to the leafless tree and began digging there, using the shovel that he found in the village's storage. The shovel gave up on him soon after. He needed to dig a big enough hole to bury all the villagers… he used his hands, feeling the mud and the earthworms that crawled around on the ground, their hidings disturbed.

He kept digging and digging in the rain—not even worrying that rain was working against him, taking down the dirt and mud back into the hole he had dug. He fell unconscious then, falling inside the hole, feeling the water against him. He might as well die… he might as well… he wouldn't be able to make it alone anyway—without his family.

--

He slowly came into consciousness, the warm ray of the sun shining his face. He narrowed his eyes, still adjusting to the light. Then, he saw a person, kneeling down beside him.

"Hey little guy, how are you feeling?" the man asked.

"Huh?..." Little Axel furrowed his eyebrows. "Who…"

"My name is Camus, captain of the red knights of Matilda."

"What…?"

"We are here to help your village. We have buried all the villagers. Would you like to come with us?" Camus lent his hand to Axel.

Axel blinked a couple of times, confused. Finally, he took Camus' hand, "okay…" he said timidly, nodding.

It was then that he was taken into the ranks of the knights of Matilda. From age seven, he was trained on how to fight. He was given one goal, to take down the King of Ghilderia, strike a rebellion and rise as a King.

However, the King soon found out about their intentions and the Knights of Matilda was dismissed—its members killed brutally. Again… Axel, who was thirteen years old was the only survivor. He was taken into Ghilderia and given the rank of a general in an early age. He was given all the luxury he could have never dreamed of all his life.

And his goal then was only one… kill—pillage the villagers, take from the poor and bow down to the King and he would be blessed with eternal wealth and happiness.

Men were greedy—and so was he. He had completely forgotten about revenge. He didn't care about his village or his family—or Camus that had kindly taken him in, raised him up, trained him how to fight, and protected him until his death—he didn't care about all those. What was important was how he was treated _now_, right? And he was living in luxury with the power to do anything he wanted, with the fighting ability even superior to those above him.

And without him knowing it, he had killed for eight—almost nine years… and all those screams and pleads of mercy sounded nothing like songs to him. And the terror in his victims' eyes was barely noticeable anymore.

Survival of the fittest…

And he had survived twice… he was most definitely… the fittest.

Strangely, he had never experienced happiness up until now, no matter the wealth, no matter the power.

--

He couldn't sleep at night. Thinking of what Roxas had told him.

What had Roxas told him?

Roxas made him promise all sorts of things and he promised…

"_Promise you won't be angry once you know?"_

He broke his promise—he was angered and was enshrouded in anguish. And he couldn't control his emotions.

"_Will you promise to take care of me if something happened to me?"_

He hadn't fulfilled this one yet… take care of Roxas…? But the nannies were taking care of him and everyone in the Sol Divicia would definitely give their all in order to take care of him and make him happy…

Roxas knew everything beforehand. Roxas knew everything that would happen. He knew… and he had used him…

No, Roxas couldn't be using him. He knew Roxas and Roxas was not selfish. And even if the priest was being selfish, it was alright… it was alright because Roxas had been used—he had a right to start using somebody.

He promised Roxas that he wouldn't be angry… He took in a deep breath, trying his best to calm his beating heart—trying to be calm. He was tired, so tired.

He needed rest…

A full sleep…

The last thing he promised Roxas… he would take care of Roxas. And he would.

He wouldn't disappoint Roxas.

--

He was woken up by the chirping of the birds the next morning—very early in the morning. He had slept early the day before and he was well rested. He shook his drowsy head, looking out the window. He breathed a sigh and got out of bed then began packing. He was leaving Sol Divicia.

He made sure that the room was all neat and clean before he left the room. He wouldn't repay their hospitality with hostility and bad manners… he wasn't the crimson general anymore—he was merely Axel. Heading towards Roxas' room, he found out that the room wasn't locked. He stepped inside, making sure he made no noise. It was empty.

And there it was, Moo, sitting on Roxas' bed, by the pillow. He picked the cow plush up and looked around the room, wondering what else he should take. Roxas had told him that Moo was very precious to him… but Roxas didn't say anything else. He then walked over to the wardrobe and took several t-shirts and pants for Roxas. The rest, he was sure he could buy.

He put all of those in a piece of big clothes and tied them together. Then, he took his chakrams, going out of the room, heading for the incubation room where Roxas was—and it was not to say goodbye.

--

He made sure not to make too many noises when he made his way to the white room. He looked left and right, wary—hoping that no one was following him, hoping that no one knew he was there. His heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through his blood due to the crime he was about to commit. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not. All he knew was that he should do this, at any cost.

He hoped that the babies wouldn't be woken up because of him.

Very very gently, he opened the door to the Incubation room. He didn't turn on the light. The area was filled with dim lights that were bright enough for him to see and made his way around. He carefully avoided the cribs and made his way to the one labeled 'Roxas.'

He was finally there, standing beside the crib, staring down at the wide awake golden haired baby. Wait, Roxas was wide away? Axel blinked a couple of times to make sure. Ho boy, that wasn't good. He didn't want Roxas to cry or anything.

Taking in a deep breath, he set his chakrams down and let the clothes hang on his arm. Using both of his hands, he carefully lifted Roxas up, wrapped the baby carefully in the piece of white blanket, and held the baby close in his arm, protectively. He bit his lower lip.

Roxas started to make little baby noises, as if about to cry. Afterwards, he let out small cries.

"Shh… shh, Roxas. Please don't cry. It's fine. It's me, Axel…"

Roxas calmed down some, little hands flailing about.

"Yeah, it's me. Axel. Do you remember?" Axel smiled, noticing that Roxas had calmed down. He lovingly pressed his lips against Roxas' forehead. "I'll take you out of here," he whispered. "I will take care of you, Roxas. Don't worry, okay? Leave it all to this old man. To your Papa."

Holding the baby closer, but making sure not to suffocate him, he took his chakrams and held Roxas in one arm. Then, he dashed out of the room, making as little noise as possible.

For a while there, he was reluctant… hesitant. Wondering if he had gone crazy. He was kidnapping a baby. And he had no experiences whatsoever with babies. How could he take care of Roxas?

Baby Roxas giggled and grabbed Axel's hair again, happy that he was in Axel's arms.

Axel smiled, running in the dark.

Time to start a new life…

With him and the baby.

Axel and Roxas…

"It's just the two of us now, Roxas."

--

First off, I didn't really proofread this one, so please do forgive the silly mistakes I make here and there. Now you know what happens.

This could be a perfect ending if I want to end it here. O.O I don't wanna end it though. But well, if you guys want this to end, I can always mark it as completed and I don't need to write some more. If you want me to continue, please do tell? Next update won't be so fast anymore. I'm out of spring break and I don't have the next chapter ready.

So, I will mark this one complete FOR NOW. Do keep it alerted if you wanna read more.

Alright, adios people. x3 thanks a lot!

Love.


	8. Little Bundle of Joy

Awesome spasm guys! **Becca-Yumi** at deviantArt drew an art for this fic. (: and it looked amazingly AWESOME! You definitely have to go and see and click full view to see everything. You'll get the amazing picture of Roxas' outfit in this fic! And it's even better than what I have in mind. The outfit is gorgeous. http :// becca-yumi . deviantart. Com / art / The-Sorrowful-Priest-160167750 That's the link. Remove the spaces and you'll be sent to the amazing art!

Enjoy.

**Chapter 8**

**Little Bundle of Joy**

Axel looked around the area he was in. He had been running and running and—endlessly running… running away from Sol Divicia, hoping to every entity above and beyond that nobody followed him. _Praying_ that Zexion didn't follow him or even notice him walking out of Sol Divicia, praying that there wouldn't be another attack like what happened to Sol Divina… he kept chanting to himself that everything would—_will_ be alright.

He could have sworn that somebody from Sol Divicia was going after him. Somebody that wanted to take Roxas away from him, somebody that would kill him, behead him.

He held the sleeping baby close, taking in deep, short breaths, panting breathlessly, sucking in as much fresh air as he could.

He followed the river—which God knew lead where. He didn't know where he was. He wasn't familiar with the enemy's territory to begin with. And that was definitely not a good start. He just wanted to find someplace where he could raise Roxas, get the baby away from all that was happening—get the baby away from danger and war and even from the mention of being a priest or sending souls.

He made sure to make as little motion as he could, as little noise as he could so he didn't jolt up the baby. Roxas had finally fallen asleep after hours upon hours of crying and screaming. He didn't know what was wrong. He didn't know. Roxas was just… crying. Maybe it was because he kidnapped him? Because he took him away from his one and only family, Ventus? He didn't know…

He was about ready to give up, to slump down in defeat against some tree trunk and give up. He didn't know what he was doing to begin with. And for a while, he really wanted to just go back to his _normal_ life, to the life that he had gotten used to. The life filled with wealth and luxury and all the power he could use at will, the life of killing innocent lives, doing his King's bidding.

He was really tempted to turn away and leave Roxas in the forest—with the hope that somebody would find the baby—with the hope that the wolves wouldn't kill the baby. He had heard stories about a baby who was raised by the wolves. Maybe the same thing would happen to Roxas? He wouldn't know.

Scolding and slapping himself inwardly, he shook away all the negative thoughts coursing through his head—all the thoughts about abandoning everything he was doing and escape. Run away like a coward. He had come this far and he was determined. He promised Roxas. He would never be one of those irresponsible adults who saw him merely as a tool, who didn't care about him. No, he was different from the rest of them.

He took in a deep breath. The sun was already high above him—high, high above his head, casting shadows down under the soles of his boots. He still held the baby close no matter how tired, no matter how exhausted he was. He never let go. He provided Roxas with all the warmth and shelter he could provide.

He let out a pale smile when he saw the sleeping face of the baby, the baby with several strands of blond hair. Roxas curled up to him, palms curled up into fists, sleeping soundly, having cried himself to sleep.

He kept walking, venturing beyond. Not even once letting the cruel sun be his obstacle. He fought the sun, he fought the weather. He drank from the river and was rejuvenated. Then, he moved on, following the trail of the river, watching the sparkles of the gray blue water.

Finally… finally the river widened into a lake… no, a sea. And far and beyond, he could see the blue horizon, the sea, stretching even further than his eyes could see. And right there, right beside the lake, stood a small village made out of wood, standing peacefully above the water.

His eyes went wide and he immediately made his way to the village. Hopefully, it was a village where no one knew him or Roxas. Where was he? What was this village? He didn't want to come to the wrong place…

Roxas slowly woke up once the redhead started dashing through the green field. The baby looked around with its cerulean eyes, finding the sparkling water and the blue sky.

Then, the baby started crying.

Axel immediately halted. He held Roxas close to his chest, petting the baby's head lovingly, kissing the baby's forehead. "Roxas, we're almost there. Just a little more, alright? So please…"

Roxas kept crying.

Axel growled—always the one to have a short temper. He ignored Roxas' cries and headed straight towards the village. He looked around, still trying to calm Roxas down while doing that, patting the baby's back and rocking him gently. "We're here, Roxas." He whispered.

So peaceful… everywhere he looked, he could see the tranquility of the village made out of milky brown colored woods. He could see the small shacks and the villagers walking around, carrying fish, fruits, and vegetables alike. He could even see some of the villagers sitting near the water with fishing rods in hand, waiting for the fish to come.

Roxas' cries immediately drew attention to him and the redhead.

Everybody stopped and threw their eyes at them.

"Shh, Roxas…" Axel tried harder to calm the baby down. He didn't want to draw attention. He didn't need attention. "Roxas, please. What do you want? Could you tell me?" he felt like an idiot.

"A baby…" people whispered to themselves.

"Aww, there there," a woman with black and brown highlighted hair approached the two of them, cooing softly to Roxas' small ear. She wiggled her fingers playfully at Roxas' cheek.

Axel immediately backed away, growling at the woman, being very protective of Roxas.

The woman giggled. "Hello," she smiled sweetly.

"Who are you?" Axel asked, suspicious.

"My name's Rinoa," she said cheerfully. "She keeps crying. Is everything okay? Do you need some help?"

"Roxas is not a she," Axel commented, as if a child that was upset because his toy was about to be taken away.

"My, protective, aren't you?" She smiled once more. "Alright then, is he sick?"

"Roxas…?" Axel's eyes went wide. Was Roxas really sick? "I… I don't know. I don't think he is."

"Maybe he's hungry or he wants someone to change his diapers. Did you do that?"

"Oh right!" Axel exclaimed as if someone had just lighted up his idea bulb. Why didn't he think of that before?... that Roxas might be hungry? Or that Roxas wanted his diaper changed? All he thought of was that Roxas might be sad because he was taking him away from where he belonged, from Ventus and the others.

Speaking of Ventus… he wondered how Ventus would react when he found out that Roxas was gone. And he didn't leave a note or anything to Ven. How smart he was… he was sure a huge commotion was ensuing in Sol Divicia. And what about the nannies? The women who had taken very good care of Roxas? He had just gotten those poor people into trouble. What had he done? He should have planned everything out carefully beforehand.

"Oh right?" Rinoa giggled some more, snapping Axel out of his thoughts. "What kind of a father are you?"

"Uhm…" Axel had completely forgotten what babies needed. No, he didn't even know to begin with. He had never taken care or even came in contact with babies and he rarely ever saw them… he had possibly just killed them when he saw them without a single care… He felt the pang of guilt burning inside him.

No one had ever taught him about taking care of babies. And even if someone decided to teach him, he doubted that he would even care to begin with. "So… what should I do?"

Rinoa blinked slowly at Axel, shocked. "Well… ever considered feeding him and changing his diaper or maybe cleaning him?"

"I…" he didn't have any milk or anything and he certainly didn't know how to change diapers of even bring clothes for Roxas.

Rinoa sighed then, somehow managing to figure out that Axel didn't have a single clue.

Roxas' cries filled the air—rousing the calm village.

"Come with me. I'll help you out," she said with a smile and headed off without waiting for the redhead to follow him. "Oh, and drop that weapon of yours, please. We don't welcome violence or any kinds of weapons being carried around while you're walking in the village," she spoke gently.

Axel was dumbstruck, standing still there, still rocking Roxas gently.

He snapped out of it and nodded quickly, throwing his chakrams to the side and following Rinoa to the house located underneath the small bridge. Rinoa opened the door and walked inside, followed by the redhead.

It was a small house. The kettle was hung above the fire on an iron stick, supported by two beams. Steam was coming out from the kettle's mouth. Water or some sort of liquid was probably being boiled. He could smell the scent of fresh herbs in the air. He peeked in the room with opened door and saw a small bed at the corner of the room when he walked in.

The baby finally calmed down for a bit.

Such… simplicity.

Such a small house.

"You can put the baby on my bed in the bedroom." Rinoa pointed to the room. "Mr…"

"Axel, just call me Axel, Rinoa." the redhead provided, feeling like he could trust this woman.

"Right," she nodded. "And the baby?"

"Roxas."

Rinoa gave a friendly smile. "Alright then, Axel and Roxas. Make yourselves at home, okay?" she walked off to what seemed like a small dressing room or kitchen of some sort.

Axel did as instructed and carried Roxas to the bedroom. He took off the clothes that was filled with his clothing and Roxas' Moo from his shoulder and set it down to the side. Afterwards, he put Roxas down very gently on the clean, white covered bed.

He sighed. "Roxas, I'm sorry. I don't know anything…" he sighed, sitting down on the bed.

Roxas was about ready to cry again and the redhead noticed it. He panicked, not knowing what to do. Then, he rushed over to where he put his clothes and opened it to find the now dirty cow plush. He hesitated, wondering if he should give Roxas the plush.

But Roxas was already crying again.

He bit his lower lip and sat down beside where the baby was lying and playfully animated the cow. "Hi, Roxas. Don't cry," he said, making the best child voice he could. He felt ridiculous. He knew he was going to fail cheering Roxas up. Even worse, he knew that he would end up causing Roxas to cry even harder.

But then, out of what he was expecting, Roxas stopped crying, blue eyes opened wide. The baby reached out his hands, trying to grab the cow.

Axel found it… odd—oddly amazing… that a small doll could stop a baby's cries when he had tried everything in his power to calm Roxas down. He started animating the cow again. "Yes, Roxas. Don't cry. I love you more if you don't cry. Not that I don't love you when you're crying."

Axel blinked, confused at what he was saying…

He was hopeless.

Roxas started giggling and began reaching out more for Moo.

Axel smiled then, releasing a relieved breath. He hesitated in handing the plush over to the baby… would it be alright? Roxas was just two days old. Would it be alright for him to be already playing with a doll?

"Alright, I'm back." Rinoa giggled when he saw the giggling Roxas. "Well, it looks like you two are having fun." She walked in, carrying a bottle of milk and a sheet of clean cloth.

Axel watched as Rinoa started getting to work and taught him how to change Roxas' diapers and wash the clothes filled with Roxas' pee and poop. She even taught him how to check if Roxas needed his diapers changed or not. He cringes in disgust, holding his nose with his thumb and index finger, unable to stand the smell. Roxas giggled at Axel's funny expression, watching Axel, being changed and cleaned.

The redhead blushed slightly when he saw Roxas' small genitalia for the first time. He wanted to laugh, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed. What was he thinking? That was inappropriate. He blinked for a second before shaking his embarrassment away. He had to get used to this. But then again, it was Roxas. He like—he loved Roxas.

"Are you okay?" Rinoa asked, raising her eyebrows.

Roxas giggled some more, happy now that he was full and cleaned, flailing his arms about.

Axel released a fit of coughs and looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

And Axel had to suffer through washing Roxas' diaper clothes because Rinoa forced him to. Of course, he knew that he couldn't always depend on Rinoa to do everything for him. But he still didn't like the fact that he had to sit by the river and wash the dirty clothes filled with the baby's poop. Not that it was _that_ bad. But it was still rather nasty.

Rinoa gave him three more sheets of clean clothes for Roxas diapers and she also taught him a very nifty and fast technique of how to tie the clothes around Roxas' bum and front as a diaper. Axel made sure he got everything memorized, learning like the soldier/general he was.

Rinoa also cooked him some food and showed him hospitality. And when Roxas was asleep, he slowly scooted the baby up and walked around the small village, leaving his things behind at Rinoa's. Apparently, the raven haired girl had to wash some clothes and since Axel didn't have anything to do, she assigned him to catch some fish for dinner. They need at least three fish. She said that she would cook them. Axel wondered for whom the other fish was for, seeing as Rinoa's house was definitely a single small house.

He carried a fishing rod that he took from the village's storage room, and an empty bucket for holding the fish and another bucket filled with nasty, slimy earthworms that Rinoa gave him, and of course, Roxas. Rinoa had told him to leave Roxas in the house, that she would take care of him, but Axel didn't listen. He felt like he had to be by the baby's side 24/7. Just because… he didn't want to give Rinoa so much trouble and he just wanted to be by Roxas' side, still paranoid that Roxas would be taken away.

He proudly pronounced himself Roxas' guardian.

The villagers waved and greeted him, smiling ever so warmly. Axel was confused. He tilted his head to the side, wondering what he had done to gain such respect and hospitality. There must be a reason why the villagers were so friendly… right? The confused redhead returned the smile and friendliness with a firm nod of recognition.

The villagers merely raised their eyebrows at him, not at all offended, walking away to do what they were supposed to do, catch fish for dinner.

Axel tried to find a spot where he could sit down and fish.

The fishing place was already full with the villages eager to catch some fish and Axel didn't see any spot left. He did wonder why they didn't just use some nets to catch the fish—that would make life easier. In fact, he asked Rinoa, but Rinoa said that it was strictly forbidden and he didn't ask any further. Maybe it was because of what heard about the spirit of the River during his travel.

Maybe the villagers didn't want to upset the spirit of the river by being too greedy. Maybe… Axel wouldn't know.

He walked to the small alleyway leading to the other side of the village and arrived at a less crowded pier. He settled down at the empty spot, smiling. The sky was already turning orange ever so slowly.

He tied a cloth around his neck and wrapped Roxas in the clothes so that he didn't need to use his hand to hold Roxas. Then, he cringed, putting his hand into the bucket of earthworms and pulled one out, using it as bait. He casted the fishing rod. All he needed to do was to wait—wait for the fish to come. He used his other hand to hold Roxas protectively again.

After a long hour of wait, not a single fish came. He grew tired. It had been a _long_ day. He kept waiting and waiting.

… and waiting…

And waiting…

Waiting.

No fish.

Zero.

Gilt.

Nada.

He released a dangerous growl, growing very very impatient.

He glared at the lake, as if threatening the fish to come and take a bite. He just wanted to go home and have a nice little nap and successfully get his job done!

"Another one!" the person beside him cheered happily, catching another fish and putting it inside her bucket.

Axel growled some more and stood up, about to leave, feeling that the world was unfair. This time, he woke Roxas up.

The baby was started and he opened his eyes almost instantly. He was about to cry, but Axel immediately sat down and held Roxas close. "Aww, there there, Roxas. It's okay. Sorry I scared you. Go back to sleep ok?" he cooed softly to the baby's ear.

Roxas calmed down, not crying, not going back to sleep. He looked around then, catching in the sight of everything around him with curiosity.

Axel smiled so softly. Merely watching the baby's neutral expression calmed him down. He released a soft breath and closed his eyes, calming himself down, listening to Roxas' soft breaths and the birds calling out in the sky. It was almost dark.

He had no time to lose his temper.

He had to catch some fish for himself and Roxas and of course, also for Rinoa who had been so hospitable to him and the baby. Of course, little did he know that Roxas couldn't eat anything besides milk yet.

Then, he casted out his rod again, waiting patiently for the fish to come while watching Roxas.

The baby reached about, looking into Axel's eyes.

Axel gave Roxas a big grin and Roxas giggled happily at Axel's goofy grin.

Axel chuckled softly then, wondering why the baby would giggle at just his grin. It was… rather amazing.

"Oh!" he yelped when he felt a soft tug from his fishing rod. He blinked and stood up, holding his rod firmly in both hands, making sure that Roxas was safe, wrapped around the cloth. He felt the tug getting stronger and stronger and he quickly and swiftly pulled his fishing rod up and saw the fish coming up with it, hooked by its mouth. He grinned victoriously and grabbed the fish and put it in the empty bucket. "Yay, Roxas! A fish for dinner!" he cheered excitedly. It didn't take him a while to feel silly that he was acting giddy just over a single fish.

Baby Roxas giggled some more, flailing his arms, making little baby noises. Then the baby returned to his normal expression again, lazily looking out to the blue sea and the sky that was turning orange and gray.

Axel smiled. "Alright, Roxas. Let's do this together. Two more and we can finally eat," he grinned, filled with energy now.

It was amazing how a baby's laugh could easily cheer him up.

--

It turned out that the other fish was for a man named Leon who was the village's guard. Rinoa called him Squall but he didn't allow anybody else to call him by that name. The man had a scar on his face which looked rather intimidating. In addition, he was a rather cold person.

Axel had some exchanged with the man, but not a lot, seeing as Leon was so quiet.

Axel was full after the dinner and Roxas was also given milk that night and later that night, Axel changed Roxas' diapers. Axel was given a place to stay over at Leon's where the place was bigger.

When Leon was already sleeping, Axel sneaked out of the house silently, carrying Roxas and his weapons and clothes. He didn't want to remain in one place for long and he knew that he would only bring the village trouble if Zexion found out where he was.

In the middle of the night, he travelled away again, this time walking slowly because no one was pursuing him. Finding another place. The moonlight shone down on his face, making his pale skin tone paler. He smiled softly when he looked down, finding the baby with him, sleeping soundly. Roxas had cried earlier, but Axel had managed to calm him to sleep.

--

Axel did everything he could in order to survive and feed Roxas, even if it meant starving himself. He even sneaked up to a farm and milked a cow for Roxas, which was rather dangerous, since the cow wouldn't stop mooing in protest! He managed to run away before he was caught by the farmer.

There was even one time when Axel was really desperate that he had to give Roxas juice from fruits instead of milk. Baby Roxas, stomach still weak, was unable to withstand it and pooped really badly that day, continuously crying, possibly because of tummy ache. Axel had no choice but to take Roxas to the doctor and ran away soon after because he was unable to pay the doctor.

"Alright, Roxas," Axel smiled, walking over to the baby whom Axel set down on a stack of hays. In his hand was a white cloth which Rinoa gave him. "Time for a diaper change."

Roxas let out a toothless laugh, hands and legs reaching out, as if understanding what Axel said, ready for a diaper change.

Axel took off the cloth that kept Roxas warm and then Roxas' diapers. Afterward, he set the dirty cloth aside to wash tomorrow by the river. He was met by Roxas' small genitalia and he chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Roxas. When you grow older, I'm sure you'll become a strong man—boy with big…" He blinked then. What was he saying?!! He blushed profusely, extremely ashamed. He sounded like a pedophile just now. Suddenly, he feared that Roxas might not be safe with him. He looked away, completely embarrassed. He was Roxas' guardian, for God's sake! How could he have such a way of thought!

"_Shame on you, Axel_! _You old pervy man._" Oh yes, he could definitely imagine what the nineteen year old Roxas would say. And of course, the knowing and teasing smile that the boy would always put on his face.

When he looked back at the baby, he raised his eyebrows at Roxas rolling around and attempted to sit up all by himself. Roxas had never done that before. He always needed help in sitting up. The baby always needed someone to support him from behind since he still couldn't sit straight.

The redhead was about ready to run over and help the baby. But to his surprise, Roxas was able to sit up for a whole minute without falling back down. And the one minute prolonged into two and three. And it was then that Axel realized Roxas was able to sit straight. He chuckled and clapped his hand, suddenly feeling very light and joyful inside. "Good baby!!!" he exclaimed, petting Roxas' head lovingly.

--

And at approximately 8-9 months, Axel's belief in miracle was strengthened. He had never believed in miracles before and he didn't think that he would believe in it anytime soon. He was already so used to Roxas' baby talk that he rather understood what Roxas was talking about most of the time. Baby Roxas would crawl up to him at night when he was reading a book and speak to him using baby language and Axel was able to know whether Roxas wanted milk or wanted his diapers changed or that Roxas just wanted something to suck on, like a finger or his neck or that Roxas just wanted attention.

Axel particularly like Roxas sucking his neck.

Roxas was using baby talk again as usual and Axel held him close, still as protective as ever. This time, Axel didn't understand what Roxas was talking about. Axel leaned against the wall of the shack and set his book down, watching the baby intently. He poked Roxas' cheek playfully and Roxas responded by grabbing Axel's index finger and giggled.

Axel chuckled, wriggling his fingers around the baby's little hand.

Then, something surprised him—so much so that he knew he had skipped a heartbeat.

"Mama," Roxas suddenly said.

Axel blinked a couple of times. "W-What?! What was that, Roxas?" he asked, shocked. Did Roxas just said mama? Axel grinned so broadly. "Say that again, Roxas."

But Roxas wouldn't repeat what he just said.

"Awww, Roxas." Axel laughed softly and rubbed his cheek against Roxas' smooth one fondly. He felt an intense emotion swimming inside him. He didn't know why. He just felt so. It was… unexplainable. Even though Roxas called him mama instead of dada, his emotions were stronger than ever. The night was cold, but he felt warm inside. "Okay now, Roxas. It's dada, okay? Remember? Dada!" he exclaimed giddily, mouthing the word slowly, teaching Roxas.

But the baby was looking elsewhere, not at all paying attention.

"C'mon, Roxas. It's Dada!" Axel persuaded eagerly.

But once again, the baby wasn't listening, ignoring the redhead.

Axel laughed softly and gave up.

Guess he was no longer Roxas' guardian, he was his mother now. Axel couldn't help but feel amused.

He kissed the tip of the baby's nose lovingly and he leaned back against the wall, sitting on a stack of hays. He really should buy a bed soon. He could feel his bone beginning to protest against his daily sleeping on rock hard wood. He had gathered all the hays he could find for Roxas and he slept on the wood with his head resting on the biggest piece of rock he could find as a pillow. He sure hoped Roxas wasn't feeling pain or anything due to sleeping on the hays.

Why didn't he just sleep with Roxas on the hays? Simple. He didn't want bad things to happen. What could happen? He surely didn't want baby Roxas to be found unconscious or anything when he woke up the next morning because he had slept on the baby, suffocating the poor little thing. He didn't want to risk anything when Roxas was concerned.

Maybe he should find a place to settle down, somewhere where no one could find them. He had done a good job in avoiding any pursuit for the last nine months. And he would continue doing so in order to have Roxas by his side. Sure, he was selfish. But that was all he wanted. He didn't mind if people hated him for it. He didn't mind if people wanted to murder him for it. He didn't care at all. All he wanted was to be with Roxas. He loved the baby. He loved Roxas. Even though the baby was a lot of trouble since he had to give him his full attention, it was nothing.

He didn't mind losing sleep for Roxas, losing health, or even losing his life. If he was somehow killed along the way, he just wanted Roxas to be safe. That was all he wanted…because Roxas deserved everything good—no, Roxas deserved the best of everything.

Roxas, baby or not, had forever changed his life.

He slowly fell asleep. He tried to stop himself from nodding off, but he couldn't help it. He was so tired. He hugged Roxas close as he slowly crawled over to the hay and laid Roxas on the hay, not at all thinking about the horrible things that would happened if he slept beside the baby because he was terribly exhausted. Roxas was set down on his back beside Axel. Then, the redhead lied down on the hay. Closing his eyes, he wandered off to the land of sleep.

The baby was still awake beside him, playing with his own fingers. Then, he moved his face to the side, watching the redhead's sleeping face. The baby rolled to the side and crawled over close to his over protective father and sat down on his diapers. Then he giggled. "Dada!" he called, placing his little index finger on his lips.

But the one who was called was already asleep.

The baby lied back down on his back and fell asleep all by himself that night.

And the two slumbered peacefully, embracing the morning that was about to come.

"_Dada."_

--

That night, Axel dreamt of the sunset and the green and orange colored grass field. He was standing there, feeling the wind, watching the nineteen year old blond's back. There was a smile on his face.

"_Do you know, Axel. All it takes is simplicity…"_

"_Things are only complicated because you see it as so."_

The golden haired boy's voice rang through the air, back still facing Axel.

It was then that Axel woke up, greeted by the warm sunlight and the happy face of baby Roxas, sitting on his diapers, right in front of him, holding his arms out.

Axel smiled and sat up, pulling the baby into his embrace.

"Good morning, little baby," he whispered softly, as lovingly as a parent would.

--

Again, don't forget to go to the link up there in the note. If you have trouble going to the link, please take the time to go to my page and click at the art. Control F to find "the sorrowful priest" and you'll find it. This is all that I'm asking out of you. (: thanks a lot, **Becca**. It's amazing. And thanks a lot to all of you too. I was honestly surprised at the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. And of course, thanks a lot to **Jelly. **Thanks for the motivation, everyone!

Alright, before this A/N gets too long, I shall end this here.

Until next time.

Love.


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